The Plan
by Adobo-chan
Summary: COMPLETE. A drinking session has Matsumoto contemplating the future of Soul Society and her plan for the next generation unfolds. Her idea: a super powerful, ultra adorable, three-fourths shinigami. HitsuKarin.
1. Drunk Genius

**AN**: I should be working on _Go Against the Grain_ but this wouldn't leave me alone. It's weird and pointless, but kinda fluffy. Still, it's weird so I apologize in advance. :/

_Summary_: A drinking session has Matsumoto contemplating the future of Soul Society and her plan for the next generation unfolds. Her idea: a super powerful, ultra adorable, three-fourths shinigami.

_Warning_: Besides the strangeness, nothing really. Was inspired by Ishida's Quincy Bangle (but you'll have to read to understand why). Also, just my usual too-many-words syndrome.

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><p><em>Chapter One: Drunk Genius<em>

Matsumoto Rangiku, the Tenth Squad's lieutenant, was happily off-her-rocker drunk.

It wasn't a new feeling anymore nor was it surprising to see in her such a state. She was currently in a pleasantly buzzed haze that (with a few more bottles of sake) would have her in that muddled world where all the colors blurred and faces disappeared. She shouldn't love it so much, but there was something about not being able to see two feet in front of her that made things so much more fun. And although it was a secret from all that knew her, Matsumoto's best ideas came when she was drunk.

Tossed over the edge of her desk, she thanked the Spirit King her uptight taichou was at his weekly captain's meeting, probably having something to do with Karakura again. A strangely large amount of hollows were popping up there recently, but with a family that literally bled spiritual pressure it wasn't too much of a shock. No, it was the news that quick disposal of said hollows occurred in record time that had them all scratching their heads. While Kurumadani was a fairly proficient (if not rather slow) shinigami, the turnover rate in that area was far above normal and with the usual group all off to college and out of the city, no one had any reason as to why. But Rangiku, who was chugging an extra special flask she'd been saving just for herself, knew exactly who the cause was.

Without a doubt, Urahara Kisuke had gotten his hands on that Kurosaki Karin taichou liked so much.

Not that the overly serious captain would say anything about his reluctant affection for the former tomboyish girl. Then again, Toushirou wasn't much of a kid now either. He was turning into a teenager physically, perhaps sixteen or seventeen in visage, and was already giving Byakuya competition for most eligible man in the _Gotei_ Thirteen. A light-skinned beauty with forest green eyes, Toushirou had broken more hearts than hollow masks in the last few years, passing on many proposals for dinner from nobles' daughters and letting down a number of junior shinigami with trained politeness.

She knew he was embarrassed about those experiences, about the gaggle of girls who followed after him like love struck puppies. But Rangiku also understood his appeal well, as she eyed her closest friend with motherly pride. One moment he was a small and adorable child, and the next he was an audaciously handsome adult. And while he had people's respect before, now he commanded them with charisma that fit his attractive face and newly respectable height.

But that only begged the question: who was right for Hitsugaya Toushirou, the icy captain of the Tenth? Known for his loyalty and quiet passion, many females had thrown themselves at his feet but he had walked away without a care, barely noticing as he sidestepped fingers and toes. So, in the midst of a stroke of genius juice, Rangiku decided that her best friend and boss needed a lover who was just like him but somehow completely opposite. (In her inebriated state, that last part made perfect sense and she didn't care if no one else could comprehend her intellect without getting lost.)

He needed a girl who was just as beautiful but opposite in coloring. Take Ichigo and Rukia, for example. One was overly tall, the other was mind-numbingly short. One had hair the color of tangerines, the other was bathed in darkness. One wielded an oversized butcher knife, the other had the most beautiful zanpakuto in all of Soul Society. Whoever thought up 'opposites attract' must've been thinking of those two. There was no other explanation.

Second, she'd have to have a personality that was completely different from his. Someone bright but not too cheerful (Hitsuagaya hated overly happy until he had his two cups of morning tea), a girl who could make even the most reluctant man talk about things he'd never have any interest in. She'd have to be as loyal as a dog because he believed in faithfulness but as sly as a fox so as not to bore him, not to mention as mean as a dragon to put up with his occasional temperamental outbursts. There was no room for fear in love with her captain, only the courage to say and do the things that he couldn't. This girl had to love Toushirou and no one else because he was the type of man that couldn't be appreciated in half-hearted doses.

And finally (and in her opinion, the most important), they had to have cute babies. While Rangiku was fully aware that spirits—save for a choice few of nobility—couldn't have children, she wanted little Hitsugaya's to run around the office and distract their father while she pretended to babysit. Think of all the delightful mayhem that would happen, as one knocked over a newly finished stack of paperwork while another climbed the bookshelf just for fun. And the thought of an exasperated and worried Hitsuagaya was rather appealing as well, as she giggled and hiccupped in the tipsy mindset she was still in.

Those kids would be so strong and so cute they'd probably be saving _Seireitei_ in their diapers and running around with zanpakuto-daggers attached to their sides while everyone cooed adoringly. Just picturing it made her squeal in delight, as she wished for the little white-haired children with dark eyes and chubby cheeks. She'd always wanted to be 'Auntie Rangiku' but since no one was having children right now, it didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon. Even Rukia had foregone the thought of marriage in favor of Ichigo's education, which had been upsetting (for Matsumoto) to say the least.

But the thought of that Kurosaki turned into a different one, a girl with dark hair that contrasted her taichou's and with a personality even he couldn't help but be drawn to. Not to mention, she was half-shinigami and therefore practically destined for greatness once she died and her powers came in to full effect. Hopefully that strength wouldn't be brought out early because of some insane, power-hungry captain with self-concept issues (the thought of Mayuri sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine). But everything else was trivial because in Rangiku's mind this plan was as clear as clear could be (which essentially meant that everything was murky and muddled in all the best possible ways).

The world needed three-fourths shinigami babies, but people didn't even know it. Well, she'd just have to remedy that, wouldn't she? Sometimes Rangiku was so smart that the hangover wasn't what hurt in the morning, but the fact that she was so obviously more intelligent than everyone else and no one knew it.

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><p>"You're going to the Living World, Taichou?" Matsumoto asked, bottom lip pouted out cutely as Toushirou put away his files. His only response was a nod, as he thoughtfully placed his things in their proper places and sifted through the last of the excess.<p>

"Ooh, can I come?" she hummed happily, scampering over to him and smiling widely in her characteristic way, which looked more like a leer on her pretty face. This time he grunted, one that was positively no, if she was translating correctly. Her smiled dipped into a frown of disappointment. "Why not, Taichou?"

"Because it's a solo mission. We're not going out to destroy anything or fight anyone. I'm just looking for the one responsible for all the recent Hollow killings."

"And then do what? Talk to them?" She snorted at the last sentence, wondering why they'd even bother with it. They should be thanking this stranger, not giving them the third degree. Made their jobs and lives a whole hell of a lot easier, to be sure.

His annoyed expression didn't seem to agree with her thoughts. "If someone is rogue and going around doing a shinigami's job, then it's our duty to find out what he's up to and why. Besides, if it's someone who isn't fit to be fighting, then it would also be within our authority to stop them before they hurt themselves or others."

"For as long as this person's been doing it, I think they're pretty capable without us," Rangiku said with a shrug, as she realized the desk was cleared and only the medium-color wood stared back. It'd been a while since she'd seen the light gleam off it, she noted vaguely.

"Regardless, it's still my job." He moved over to the door, as he explained that he expected to come back within the next few days with his office just as he left it and his squad intact. She flinched as he glared over his shoulder in warning, not trusting his lieutenant, in spite of their rather extensive history together. She only grinned and chirped an affirmative, wiggling her fingers in a coy farewell. When he turned back, Rangiku saw how Hitsugaya's shoulders slumped in defeat, knowing whatever she did while he was gone was out of his hands. As soon as she was sure he was on his way to the gate, Rangiku summoned a Hell Butterfly, whispered a few instructions into it and sent it to follow her captain on his way to the other side.

If she couldn't be the meddlesome friend in Karakura, then she'd just have to delegate the job to someone who could be.

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><p>He arrived in Karakura in the middle of the night, the summer air unnaturally humid and worsened due to his thick <em>shihakusho<em>. Cursing the discomfort, Toushirou was going to make his way over to Urahara's without delay, but then the flashing of his phone caught his attention, that characteristic beep alerting him to danger. Within five blocks was a low-level hollow in the suburban territory of the medium-sized town, a danger to all the sleeping citizens and restless Pluses alike.

Without a second thought, Toushirou leaped into the air and _shunpo_-ed, remembering the familiar buildings when he looked down at them and recalling places as if he'd only been here yesterday. But it had been much longer, probably four years if he remembered well. It was funny how nothing had changed and yet, at the same time, everything was so visibly different to him.

He was within a few meters of it in seconds, as he unsheathed Hyourinmaru to take out the small fry. Raising it over his head, Hitsugaya was ready to fell the beast in one fair swoop, only to find that he wasn't even needed.

"_Hado Four: Byakurai_." The pale strip of light chipped through the mask easily, obliterating the small monster in seconds with a blast that was uncharacteristically powerful even for most shinigami proficient in _kidou_. Searching for the user, he distantly felt that it was familiar source, a strength that wasn't new to him in the slightest. In fact, it was an oddly comforting _reiatsu_, an energy that only came from one specific household, from one specific girl.

"It's been a while, Toushirou."

Not quite believing his own ears, Hitsugaya turned to see the memorable dark-haired young woman, the face and body no longer thirteen but still with that spunky attitude of hers and effervescent aura that went far beyond the norm. He should've suspected it was a Kurosaki's doing, but he'd been sure that he'd convinced Ichigo that his family should stay as far away from Soul Society business as long as they were alive, the only form of safeguarding that they could grant the then-high school student. It'd worked for a while, as he remembered that these recent killings had begun only four months ago, but obviously it wasn't enough to tame the middle child from her unruly and protective instincts.

Kurosaki Karin was all woman at seventeen years old, standing at five-foot-five and towering over her female classmates thanks to her early athleticism. The heart shape of her face was pleasant enough, but those mysterious eyes and full mouth were so feminine that he almost didn't believe they belonged to the girl he used to help out. And unfortunately, her face wasn't the only thing he'd noticed, as he eyed her figure and found himself heating uncontrollably beneath the pale moonlight, her scantily clad form showing just how much little Karin had grown up.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Perhaps not the salutation she deserved, but it was the only one his mind could properly figure out.

Her face scrunched into a displeased frown. "What?" She looked down at her body, eyeing her pajamas and realizing that she was rather underdressed for the occasion. The spaghetti straps showed off her well-shaped shoulders and arms, while her legs were exposed, as her shorts were cotton and cut off high on her thighs by nature. Oh, and she'd forgotten a pair of shoes before she'd jumped out the window and into the black of the night, not having the foresight to grab any in her haste. But she shrugged, not really caring either way since she hadn't expected to run into anyone.

"It's hot here even at night, so I sleep in a tank top and shorts. Excuse me for not throwing on a jacket. I'm pretty sure the job was more important than a sweater," Karin snorted easily, understanding that he wasn't upset about the clothes per se, only that she hadn't covered herself up properly beforehand.

"You're chasing down hollows in barely-there clothing, Karin. You're a young girl, out in the middle of the night when it's dangerous. It seems you've become increasingly more reckless since our last meeting," he lectured, eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest with that no-nonsense speech he was well known for. Toushirou didn't miss the spark of indignant anger, a flicker of emotion contrasting with the usual calm the girl had become known for as she'd grown older. Inwardly he was glad for it, seeing something he recognized when the person before him was so obviously not the little soccer player he was well acquainted with. Children he could deal with, but women were completely different stories.

"If you're done critiquing my lack of propriety, I'm going to bed. School starts tomorrow and I need the rest. In the mean time, I hope another hollow eats you while I sleep." When she turned away, he moved to stand in front of her before she could jump to the next ledge, grabbing her arm and spinning her to face him.

_Not my best idea_, he thought to himself, as he saw how beautiful Karin had become up close, looking much prettier than she had from afar, a feat he hadn't thought possible. The distance was safer for him and his sanity, since he didn't have to feel the full effects of her glare or the softness of her skin beneath his fingertips. More than ever Hitsugaya had to admit that Kurosaki Karin was dangerous, a force to be reckoned with in her own right, and it wasn't just to the hollows she'd been hunting.

"Let go." She did her best to wretch her arm away, his grip firm but kind, something only a gentleman could accomplish. A part of her decided she loathed both it and him, as she frowned darkly and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. Then she hated herself immediately for doing so, as she found the sparkling cerulean hue of his eyes nostalgic even after all these years.

"Karin, what have you been up to for the last four months? Was it you who was taking out hollows, and if so, how were you able to? Your powers should only be unlocked by another shinigami, but I sense no change in your _reiatsu_ at all." Quite the contrary, Hitsugaya noted dimly that it was weaker than before, below most Pluses by a small but noticeable margin. It was a conundrum, and he knew it wasn't because she lacked any amount of spiritual pressure. Her use of _kidou_ only moments before dispelled that query.

Sighing, she crumpled her nose cutely, unintentional as she shifted her head to the side and tried to figure out if she should tell him the story in full. The tightening of his fingers on her forearm was Karin's encouragement, as she continued to look away from his serious gaze, body sagging a little in defeat.

"Come with me to Urahara's shop. He can help me explain it." Somehow it made much more sense knowing that the sandal-clad former captain was behind her training in this aspect of the shinigami arts. Releasing his grip, he turned to kneel before her on the rooftop, as she eyed him oddly.

"What're you doing?"

He grunted unkindly. "Get on."

"I'm not riding on your back. I can go by the rooftops, you know. I don't know _shunpo_, but it'll get me there just fine and without your chivalry." Just as she was about to turn away again, Karin yelped in protest, feeling arms wrap around her middle as she was hoisted over his shoulder. "The hell is wrong with you, Toushirou? Is this how you treat a friend you haven't seen in years?"

"It is if it's someone as hardheaded as you," he replied easily enough, letting her squirm but ultimately not letting go.

"You can't be serious. I can't let you, a _spirit_, carry me, a _human_, in the sky without looking like some sort of freak. What if someone sees us?"

"The only people awake right now are drunkards and you. I think we'll be fine." Ignoring her obscene protests, Hitsugaya smiled smugly to himself as he carried her all the way to Urahara's.

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><p>"So, you're telling me Urahara-san developed <em>that<em>—" he gestured at the silver bracelet along her wrist, "—as a means to stifle your spiritual power. But, with a few fine tunings, he was able to get you to manifest some of your _reiatsu_, thanks to some training with Yoruichi-san and Tessai-san."

"You got it," Karin replied with a bored nod, sipping the lukewarm tea before her. An amused Kisuke sat at the table with them, Yoruichi in her cat form and standing on the wooden surface with Tessai in the other room preparing snacks for their unexpected guests. "I've been wearing this thing for a year now, but it was only recently that I've been able to use it offensively. Since Ichi-nii isn't here and the dude in charge of Karakura kind of sucks at his job, I decided to help out. When I sense particularly strong hollow, I leave class or drop whatever I'm doing and take care of them. Otherwise, I'm off the clock."

Toushirou turned to glare at the hat-wearing man, who only seemed amused by the blatant irritation on the younger soul's face. "You readily put Karin's life in danger just to satisfy the curiosity over some experiment of yours? This is not within your jurisdiction, Urahara-san."

"Don't get mad at him," Karin butted in, her own annoyance making an appearance in the form of narrowed eyes and guarded body language. Mildly distracted, Toushirou noted that his black _kosode_ enveloped her small frame, and that, despite its obvious excess cloth, she looked rather charming in it. He also tried not to think she looked like she belonged to him because of it, the ebony color marking her. "I asked him to help keep my powers in check. It just so happened that this little trinket could do other things too. It's not as if I've hurt anyone or myself, so don't get all self-righteous on me, Toushirou."

"Now, now, you two. There's no need to fuss," Urahara interrupted, white fan spread over his face while the half-breed and prodigy exchanged silent words. They couldn't see the interested smile as he watched them, amused by their close and friendly nature, in spite of Hitsugaya's famously cold attitude and Karin's prickly nature.

"You need to remedy this, Urahara-san," the younger man commanded, frowning deeply at the other. "While we understand that you're a master scientist, I doubt the S_outaichou_ wants another one of the Kurosaki's running rampant. They already attract too many from Hueco Mundo just by existing. Putting her in harm's way by giving her the capabilities to combat hollows just doesn't sit well with me."

"My, aren't you taking this rather personally," the so-called 'young and handsome' candy store owner singsonged, pushing all the right buttons that Toushirou had tried so hard to outgrow. Obviously aging wasn't enough, as a vein pulsed beneath Hitsugaya's forehead and he bit back something crude. "Well, if it's from Soul Society, I suppose the orders are absolute. Karin, please give me device. I'll reset its settings and have it back to you in a few minutes."

With obvious reluctance, Karin handed the small machine to him, her _reiatsu_ lighting up exponentially as Hitsugaya understood why she needed it in the first place. It was like her brother's before he'd gained his own shinigami powers, a blindingly potent strength that wasn't tamed or controlled in the slightest. There had probably been a number of attacks just on her person because of it, he thought, watching as Urahara left with Yoruichi in tow. Tessai reappeared for a moment but only to place a few snacks on the table before bowing and saying he was off to sleep. For a few moments, they sat in silence.

"I really hate you."

Until Karin felt the need to assert her thoughts on him again.

"Oh?" He quirked a brow upward, as if not understanding what she meant at all. It only seemed to bother her more. "Why so?"

"I can't believe you're taking away the powers I worked so hard for just because I was doing a little hollow hunting on the side," she huffed irritably, exasperation peeking into her words. "I did a damn good job, Toushirou! If you'd take a second to realize just how capable I am, maybe you'd see it too."

"While your brother is away, no one can properly protect you or your family. All of this hollow hunting is going to wind up with someone getting hurt, and I'd prefer if it wasn't you."

"You're not my brother, nor do I need you to protect me," she declared in a contradictorily soft tone, the hardness to her voice suiting the underlying meaning. He met her tempered indifference with his own, but inside he was stewing, the silent words behind the sentence pouncing on his protective nature.

"Regardless if you like it or not—" his eyes shone dark green, as if anger was coloring his irises in quiet contempt for her disagreement, "—I will be watching over you, Karin. And I sure as hell won't let anything happen to you while I'm here."

"And what happens when you leave, huh?" she inquired sarcastically, throwing her hands up and rumpling his black top with the gesture. "You're going right back to Soul Society in a few days, but there will always be hollows here. Right now, Karakura needs a protector, and if you're not going to send a better one, then maybe it needs a stronger one who's here and willing."

There was wisdom in the advice, he hated to admit. Hitsugaya went years without stepping into the Living World, too busy training troops, protecting the different areas he'd been assigned and taking care of his lieutenant to patrol the Real World. Besides, his position required him to become stronger and facing weak, half-formed monsters were obviously not the way to do it. But just the thought that Karin was out there on her own, taking the world's weight on her shoulders while trying to live a normal life didn't sit well with him. They had worked so hard for peace that had been achieved by Ichigo's hands, and yet the boy's own family couldn't find any, especially his self-sufficient little sister.

"Karin-chan, here's the modified bracelet." Stepping in and breaking the previous tension, Karin and Toushirou swiveled their heads to the genius, who twirled the silver-plated jewelry on his finger. Though she never asked, Karin wondered why he'd never named the device, especially since he loved giving ridiculous monikers to many other items. Perhaps inspiration hadn't hit him yet, but she wasn't going to inquire and have him ruin her favorite tool of his with a terrible tag name.

Placing it on her wrist, her spirit pressure dropped and stabilized in seconds, a testament to the older man's talent and intellect. Now she was a normal human again, but this time whatever power she did have was locked away deep inside her, all routes out sealed. With her abilities essentially gone, she doubted she could summon any energy into a soccer ball like she used to do, which was depressing to say the least. Now she couldn't protect herself or her city, and the bitterness at her powerless state was settling deep in her throat.

"Until it's fully tested, I'm afraid that you'll have to stay with her, Hitsugaya-kun," the hat-wearing shinigami said with some finality. "There should be no problem since it's on default settings, but it might short circuit or something while she's out. While her powers might come back slightly in those cases, the bracelet doesn't allow her the concentration or control that it previously did. I'll leave her in your capable hands."

And just like that, Karin's first day of school started off on the worst note ever.

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><p><strong>AN<strong>: Mmm... Okay. Yeah, I'm still sorry for this. Umm, your thoughts?


	2. Green Eyed Monster

**AN**: And I'm back! Though I have no idea where this story is going, I am happily trudging through it. Unfortunately, I've been neglecting my other two stories but they're coming along at their own paces. So, yes, because the writer's block is kicking me in the face, I hope that updating will help me find my rhythm again.

I actually got this out today because** ReginaCaelum** told me to stop writing IchiRuki and to go back to HitsuKarin. LOL I love my OTP, but I can't give my other one a little love? XDDD But, yes, this has been brought to you by her (unintentionally). Haha.

_Warnings_: None that I can see. I always make my characters curse, so if that offends you, run away now. :D

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><p>Sitting in her classroom, the pretty dark-haired teen held in a yawn, the obvious tiredness seeping into her features. While she'd managed to stay awake for her morning classes, lunch had somehow turned into a nap-a-thon, the need to eat second to her intense desire for a proper night's sleep. But despite her lack of slumber, she could still feel the restlessness of those shadowed monsters popping up intermittently, the shivers just beneath her skin whenever one entered the Living World a little too close to her school for comfort. It also didn't escape her that Toushirou had left her on her own a number of times to tend to them, never wandering away too long or too far.<p>

_He can go all the way back to Soul Society for all I care_, she thought to herself, folding her arms and tucking her head into the cradle she'd made. Luckily the rest of the day was merciful, passing quickly enough and thankfully without any of the homework she was used to receiving on their first day back. As Karin walked out of the building, she didn't wait for Yuzu, who said she had club activities to attend to before she returned home to cook dinner. With soccer season being over, she herself didn't have any engagements, as she tossed her bag over her shoulder and walked towards the gates, Hitsugaya still notably absent at the moment.

"Kurosaki!"

Looking back to the caller, her eyes met Yusuke, her classmate for more than three years and a good friend of hers from the boys' soccer team. She waited as he stopped beside her, smiling up at him as he caught his breath. Although she didn't understand why he was in such a rush, Karin jabbed at him a bit about being out-of-shape now that the season was over. It earned her an arm around her neck in a headlock and a noogie, both of which she hated because it made her feel more like one of the guys than the girl that she was. But she guessed it was okay since he was only playing around, as she shoved him off to ask him why he yelled out to her when they saw each other only fifteen minutes ago.

What she got for her question wasn't what she was expecting at all. When he opened his mouth shyly to ask if he could walk her home, Karin paused for a moment, silently stunned and panicking a little on the inside, unsure how to respond. When boys asked girls about that kind of thing, wasn't there usually some underlying meaning? But while her instincts screamed self-preservation and to run home without looking back, she ignored the warning and instead chose to be kind to her longtime acquaintance, as she nodded in assent. Strangely enough, she couldn't help but think that she was starting to miss the snowflake's company.

"How was your summer?" Yusuke asked, easygoing in that honest and amiable way she was used to hearing from him.

"Good, but I'm sad to see it over," she replied easily enough before inquiring about his. They made small talk beneath the still blazing sun, knowing that eventually the days would cool and that autumn was just around the corner. They talked a little about their classes, laughing about one of their teacher's strange habits that hadn't changed even in the two months they'd been gone, as they fell into a calm that eased her tension-filled nerves. The air between them was warm and the atmosphere light, slowly erasing her previous dread as they came to a stop at her house. Karin barely registered that Hitsugaya had yet to return, but shrugged it off. The boy could handle arrancar and otherworldly things just as well as she could dribble a soccer ball, so there was no real need to worry over his absence.

"Kurosaki, I'm gonna be honest. I have a confession to make," Yusuke spoke softly, looking her in the eye with earnestness that had her stepping back a bit. While she would never call herself proficient at understanding love, Karin was smart enough to know that there were real feelings reflecting back at her, emotions she didn't particularly share with the other boy. A sense of impending doom was starting to climb through her stomach and it slowly overtook her senses, as the other spoke in his signature baritone.

"Kurosaki… I've always wanted to confess to you, but I didn't have the courage until now." He twiddled with his hands, looking between them and Karin's face with overt uncertainty. A part of her was wondering if he could hear the nervous shaking of her heart, completely taken aback by the other's out-of-the-blue confession. "It's our last year together and I didn't want to waste it by not telling you how I felt, so... please go out with me."

With Yusuke bowing at the waist, Karin could literally feel her jaw hit the floor while her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets, coherency leaving and taking her good sense with it. She'd never been confessed to before and had never done it herself either, so to have her first one in front of her house by one of her closest guy friends was more than a little overwhelming. And even though she wanted to assuage the guilt inside her by saying okay, she knew that she was going to have to turn him down.

"Look, Yusuke, I'm flattered, really, but I don't see… _us_ that way…" It sounded sincere to her ears, if not a bit awkward, as she scratched the back of her head and turned her gaze from him. God, she hated weird situations. She could fight monsters the size of her house without breaking a sweat but rejecting a boy's heart was like stabbing her hand repeatedly, outright painful as she wondered how she was going to cope with the consequences later.

When Yusuke took her shoulders in his hands, Karin looked up at him, seeing his eyes flare with determination she would've found admirable elsewhere, like the soccer field or in a fight. But right now, he was kind of scaring the raven-colorred Kurosaki as he leaned down, moving to kiss her and hopefully sway her heart in his direction. But before she could properly punch him in the gut and give him a piece of her mind, Karin was grabbed around the waist and pulled back against a hard, solid body. She didn't have to think to know who the newcomer was.

"What'dya think you're doing, Toushirou?" she demanded, wriggling in his hold as Yusuke seemed to register what had just happened. Dressed in civilian clothes and a _gigai_ he'd ordered before his dispatch, the shinigami captain was staring the human boy down with death in his eyes. The scowl seemed to come across loud and clear, as she watched the other cower before running down the street and away from the stranger whose eyes could skewer him with a single glance. Mentally Karin refused to thank Hitsugaya for his unnecessary assistance.

"Are you done now? Will you let me go?" she whined, noticing that his hold on her was like a steel bar, unrelenting as it secured her to him. She was pressed so tightly against his form that she could feel his cheek against her hair, his chest to her back and even her smaller stance nestled into his. It was hard to admit, but she couldn't help but think they fit rather well together, the two of them, and that in itself was dangerous territory.

"Did he hurt you?" His voice was ice, making her flinch even though it wasn't directed at her. Though she shook her head and fought a little harder, Karin couldn't get him to release her body and she didn't have an ounce of spiritual pressure to threaten him with. Turning her around to face him, his eyes traveled the length of her body, taking in the fitting uniform and the cascade of midnight hair that trailed over her shoulders and down her front. Toushirou just wanted to make sure she was okay with his own eyes.

"I'm fine. Stop looking at me like that," she crowed unhappily, flushing at his uncharacteristic gentleness. He was watching with eyes that thought her fragile, a piece of glass that would shatter in a moment's notice. Unfortunately it only stirred up anger in her, the thought of being seen so delicately an insult to her innate strength and difficult training.

"You need to be more careful." The warning was harsh, probably more so than she deserved, and it bothered her that she was so quick to take offense. Even though she could keep her cool when it came to just about anyone else, there was something about Toushirou that made her more labile, quick to defend herself against him, especially when he was the one trying to watch out for her.

"And you need to mind your own business. Whatever I do with a guy isn't any of your concern," Karin retaliated, finally getting herself away with one last tug.

"That boy wasn't worthy of you." It was such a sure sounding sentence, as if he could measure up Yusuke's worth with nothing more than a moment of his presence. There was a sense of guarding to his tone, a filter of feeling that spoke volumes in spite of its softness.

"I don't think you get to make that decision. If I liked him, I wouldn't care what you think." The challenge she proposed was blatant, as his eyes darkened with a war of emotions passing across his features.

Deciding that she didn't want to hear what he had to say in retaliation, Karin turned on her heel and rushed to her front door for safety. She hated that the lines of her and Toushirou's friendship were starting to blur right before her eyes, and that just wasn't acceptable. In a few days she knew he'd be gone, all traces of him wiped from the earth along with whatever closeness they'd managed to accumulate, and the next time she'd see him might never come in this lifespan. Karin wasn't going to pretend she wasn't already attached to him but she wasn't going to give into it either. She knew herself better after years of self-awareness, realizing just how much she missed the little boy she was never supposed to meet and how she'd come to care for him, as one-sided as it was.

When Toushirou had last popped in during his once-in-a-blue moon visit, she'd followed him around, the littlest crush she had on him spurring her on, one she'd denied with all her might until now. But Karin wasn't eleven anymore. She knew exactly what she was feeling and it wasn't right, not here in her home nor according to Soul Society. As she raced to the comfort of her bedroom, these thoughts ran through her mind but they were never made open to the man in question, as Hitsugaya regarded the teenage girl with soft, exasperated eyes.

Sighing to himself, Hitsugaya ran a hand through his hair, words mumbled beneath his breath, confusion underscoring each one. "If you actually liked guys like _that_, then I'm definitely not working hard enough." He tried not to think about how he wasn't supposed to feel that way about her, about the little sister of the man who saved their worlds and still cared deeply for his family. Whatever lingering emotions between them were illegal, an affair of the heart that couldn't be reciprocated or encouraged. And yet he felt himself forgetting where their friendship ended and where his growing infatuation began, as he stuffed his hands in his pockets before disappearing down the street. Maybe a little time to cool their heads would do the same for the seemingly nonsensical affection they were harboring for each other, as reluctant but powerful as it was.

* * *

><p>Sitting in her room, Karin's mess of thoughts would've had her <em>reiatsu<em> lighting up with distress if not for the mechanical limiter forcing it in check. The bold red of her bed covering was a rather apt comparison to her mood, an anger that was well-deserved and not just directed at a certain shinigami captain. No, some of it was most definitely for herself, as she realized that time might heal old wounds but distance truly did make the heart grow fonder.

"Why me?" she grumbled aloud, lying back onto her bed and staring up at the ceiling as if it could give her answers that weren't readily available at the moment. Karin didn't like complicated, didn't understand why things couldn't be black and white and as simple as a child's picture book. But then again, her family's entire existence was a sterling example of all that was complex and convoluted, a paradox wrapped up in three pretty children and a mysterious father. She was never destined for normalcy anyway.

However, her long rumination came to an abrupt halt as a power surge tilted her world sideways, the headaches she used to get as a kid now a dull pain throbbing at her temples. But it was most definitely there, that dark aura that had forced her brother from his normal life and eventually Karin from hers as well. She tracked it, feeling it move towards one of the more populated areas as a wave of coldness caused her spine to shudder.

It was moving towards that little boy's resting place.

"Shit!" Karin let the expletive out, grabbing a jacket to toss on over her pajamas (she'd learned quickly since the last time) before jumping out the window. She was thankful that Ichigo's room had gone to her after he'd left home. It held in its walls many secret meetings and transformations, a Fort Knox all its own, so it kept her covert exit hidden as well, especially from the taichou she so desperately wanted to avoid. Besides, she reasoned with herself, she wasn't leaving to hunt hollows, only going to help a Plus escape the other's bloodthirsty appetite. If she needed help with this one aspect, then she couldn't very well call herself a Kurosaki, not with absolute certainty at least.

She dashed towards that familiar lamppost, the one along the dangerously narrow turn that had taken a number of lives, most recently a young brown-haired boy by the name of Takeshi. Luckily he wasn't a whole, just a spirit waiting for the right time to move on and she'd protected his grave site two weeks after his untimely death. Hopefully she wouldn't need anything but herself because she was currently inept power-wise, as she turned the corner and called out his name.

"Takeshi-kun!" she yelled, trying to draw the young spirit out of hiding long enough to tell him to escape. There were only minutes until that monster arrived, but hopefully it'd get distracted or find the young spirit not worth its time. But the path in which it moved, straight ahead and with purpose, she doubted that that would be the case. He came out almost immediately, recognizing the nice high school student who replaced the flowers by his resting place every so often. The panic on her face must have been apparent because his usual bright grin was replaced with a worried frown, eyebrows digging and eyes becoming wide in question.

"Onee-san, what's wrong?"

"There's no time, Takeshi! You need to run, _now!_" she warned, pointing him in the opposite direction of the oncoming danger. Luckily the boy was smart and didn't ask questions, only nodding before turning back and disappearing as he went. While she breathed a sigh of relief at his departure, Karin could feel the bounding aura coming her way and knew it was too late for her to follow him.

Spinning, her eyes went to the goliath of a hollow, an elephant-shaped creature with tusks that connected to its bone mask. Its dark skin was as hard as diamonds while it towered over her form, weighing ton upon ton in comparison to her lightness. Gripping her bracelet, she scowled a bit as she tried to summon some sort of energy, a flare of awareness so that its attention would stay on her and not on the spirit travelling away from the area. While Karin may have lost the power to fight, the need to defend was still there, strong and beating beneath her skin like a second pulse.

When it swung its trunk down with a conquering trumpet, Karin sneered violently as she dodged the attack, using those long training sessions and her athletic childhood to evade as best as she could. It was easy enough since she was compact and quick on her feet, not to mention taught by the Goddess of Flash herself. All she needed to do was distract it, lure it to a safer area and hightail it out of there so someone else could take it down. Knowing Hitsugaya, he was probably on his way right then, cursing her meddlesome being as he went. The thought only made her grin in satisfaction.

Running down the street, she led it towards the empty alleyways along the outskirts of the suburbs just before it dipped into the downtown area. The narrow path would be small enough to slow him down but still devoid of people so as not to put anyone in danger. Well, anyone other than herself. Karin knew she was taking a huge risk by allowing herself to play bait, but there was no other option. She wasn't going to let anyone get hurt, especially when they were ignorant of the other's presence.

As she reached the opposite end of the alley, she turned to face it, stance bared defensively as if she had the ability to challenge it. Cursing her bracelet, Urahara and Toushirou in one breath, she saw how it scrapped helplessly against the brick walls, trying its hardest to reach her. Unfortunately for Karin, the buildings' sides gave way beneath the shoving, crushed by the brute strength the hollow possessed. But she didn't fear the masked creature, didn't cower like another person would have, and instead focused on her wristlet. While it would likely hail a number of other demons to her, Karin needed to defend herself, with or without Toushirou's help, and if releasing a bit of _kidou_ was going to let her escape, then she was willing to take the chance. Moving to unclasp the lock, she mumbled the incantation under her breath, wondering if she could conjure enough control even without the device's assistance.

But then a hand clamped down on her wrist before Karin could remove it.

"Don't take it off and get yourself into even more trouble," Hitsugaya growled, his left hand secure around Karin while holding Hyourinmaru in the other. He stood in front of her, a guard that had arrived just in the nick of time to save her. The ambivalence—relief at his entrance but also annoyance at his condescending order—was pushed away for now, as she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Toushirou..." her voice trailed as she felt his fingers refasten her limiter, closing with a click before he moved to slide his hand to take hers. She was going to pretend for now that she wasn't completely confused by the action and half-tempted to break every single one of his digits in retribution for putting her through this in the first place. She made a note to bring it up during their next argument, which she was sure would be in the near future.

"I'm going to bring you to the roof two buildings over. You'll be safe there, and then later we're going to have a long talk about you running off on your own without telling me." He glared out of the corner of his eye, as he flash-stepped to the nearby building and deposited her there. Crossing her arms over her chest, she wasn't about to let him be the only one with a problem that needed fixing. After all, since he'd arrived a mere twenty-four hours ago, she wasn't exactly skipping in a field of daisies singing about how great life was.

"No, when you get back, we're gonna talk about how much I need my powers because you suck at this job." His openly offended glare met her rather serene smugness, completely fine with insulting his fighting prowess considering the circumstances. No one was forcing Toushirou to take care of her, at least not if he was willing to give her back her _reiatsu._ Karin could be perfectly reasonable, and only minimally annoying, when someone just gave into her whims.

Preferring not to reply to that statement, he disappeared then only to return a few minutes later. While a hollow like that might've put a normal shinigami in a tight situation, it was child's play for someone like Toushirou. And as irritating as she found him, Karin was appreciative of his skills and obvious need to take care of her, though that wasn't what she wanted from him in the first place. Karin had always hated feeling like some burden to others and he needed to know that, needed to understand that he wasn't just depriving Karakura of a worthy guardian by putting her _reiatsu_ on a leash. So when he reappeared and took her hand to bring them home, Karin decided they'd discuss her circumstances in full when they got somewhere with more privacy than the open sky.

* * *

><p>Standing on the corner and peering up at the single-lit room of the Kurosaki house, Urahara couldn't help the amused smile on his lips, as he felt Hitsugaya's usually contained spirit pressure flare up with each wave of uncontrolled emotion. Of course, since he was most likely arguing with Karin about her rather compromised situation, he wasn't surprised in the slightest since that girl got under his skin more than even his own fukutaichou. However, the ringing of his cell phone did catch him off-gaurd, as he opened it and pressed it to his ear, already knowing who the caller was.<p>

"Urahara-san, are you there?"

"Ah, Rangiku-san," he replied with an obvious grin in his voice, turning away to walk back towards his shop. The couple at odds would be fine for now, so he didn't spare them a glance as he moved along leisurely. "I can see you're very interested in the status of Hitsuagaya-kun and Karin-chan, considering I told you I'd check in with you."

"No time! Details, give me details!" she pleaded, the Hell Butterfly she was speaking into fluttering its wings at her over agitation. She always forgot how delicate the little things were.

"Operation Jealousy: complete," Urahara said, speaking softly but with purpose. "One of Karin's admirers accepted the Liquid Courage I gave him and the next thing I knew, he was confessing at her doorstep."

"You got him _drunk?_" While sounding appalled, Kisuke heard the slight hum of approval at the idea of getting a minor intoxicated, as illicit as it was. Chuckling a bit, he refuted her with a smile.

"No, it's a new candy I'm working on called _Liquid Courage_. Gives the eater the ability to do whatever he wants without shame for a short amount of time, but the kid I gave it to was a little aggressive. I'll probably have to tweak the recipe a little before I do another test run."

"Oh." A sigh of disappointment before she perked up and continued her interrogation. "And how did that turn out?"

"Toushirou got mad, they fought. Karin sensed a hollow, got into trouble because she went to deal with it without him, they both got mad and now they're fighting again." Urahara could practically hear the lieutenant pulling her hair out in fury at the turn of events, though he didn't understand why. A bit of anger never hurt anybody, and if those two could sort through their obvious feelings for each other, they'd make a fine pair one day. Well, as long as Karin didn't strangle the poor boy to death before then (Hitsugaya wouldn't lay a hand on her head either way).

"They're so dense! Why are they like this? I blame Ichigo!" Matsumoto complained in frustration, trying to come up with a way to help the two of them better their current relationship. All the adorable mini-Toushirou's and baby-Karin's were counting on her, and she didn't want to let them down. If only that Kurosaki boy hadn't influenced his sister into defending her independence so righteously. It made getting her to rely on Hitsugaya that much harder, as well as more prone to fighting with him and his unusually short temper when it came to the Kurosaki family.

"Just leave it to me, Rangiku-san. I'll think of something," the ex-captain reassured her, as he stepped into the doorway of his home and turned on the lights. "I want to see those two get together just as much as you do."

"Oh really?" she drawled, her interest piqued by the admission. "And why is that, Urahara-san?"

He grinned a bit to himself as he leaned against the table he so often sat at, a far-off look coming into his eyes. While not necessarily the most serious person when it came to showing affection, Urahara recognized love when he saw it, as hesitant and unruly as it was between Karin and Toushirou. While one didn't want to care about the other in fear of losing him, the other cared about her too much to be contained by mere words or actions. It was probably why they butted heads so much in the first place. It wasn't that they were too different from each other, but that they were exactly the same in one aspect: they considered the other person too important to just let themselves sit idly, intent on protecting the other with their own strength. But their ways of expressing this need were completely different, Kisuke noted silently, as he spoke into the receiver with a wistfulness the older man didn't often use.

"Just watching those two, I can't help but imagine they just might be perfect for each other. And you know me by now. I'm all about the happy endings."

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: Yeah, I still think this story's kinda weird but I'm doing my best. :D Reviews would be appreciated because I actually don't know what I want to do to Karin and Toushirou, though I have a scene or two planned out already in my head. **_Ideas are welcome! If I can see them work into the plot, I'll definitely use them so please drop me a line (or twelve). :)_**

Until next time, everyone~


	3. Uninvited Guest

**AN**: I've found inspiration for this again! Yay! LOL Actually, I think this will end at about six chapters (unless I get wordy again, then seven) and it's all planned out in my head. And while studying sounds good, the call of my writing has been much too sweet to ignore. Haha.

Btw, any_ Young Justice_ fans out there? I have been sucked into the fandom out of mere curiosity and now I am a willing slave to it. Haha. I ship just about everything it throws at me, so in case I get bored I might make some time for it in the future. Not anytime soon though. My HitsuKarin!muse is gaining its second wind.

Enjoy the chapter!

_Warnings_: Umm, maybe a tiny spoiler but read my note at the bottom cuz it's not really one unless you want it to be. =D

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Three: Uninvited Guest<em>

"Why can't you just admit that you're wrong about this?" Karin yelled, voice shrill when she sat down on her bed, pillow resting in her lap as she glared at him from beneath her lashes. Dressed in her casual (and overly revealing, Toushirou noted with red on his face) pajamas, she leaned forward while tucking herself at the head of her bed, not giving into the prodigy who was so obviously in denial about her predicament.

"Because I'm _not_ wrong!" he spit back, all fire and perhaps a bit of worry, the adrenaline from the fight still working its way out of his blood. As soon as the words were out, Karin had no doubt in her mind that Toushirou said those words often enough—and definitely to people who weren't _her_—that he was actually starting to believe them. That, or he must've been blind to the day's events, especially if he was insinuating that she didn't have any reason to find his meddling anything other than, well, meddlesome.

"Toushirou, a little boy was nearly eaten, two buildings were partially destroyed and I was powerless to stop a hollow that should've been easy as cake to kill," she said with her know-it-all attitude, counting on her fingers to supplement her point. He frowned even more deeply at her, folding his arms over his chest in defiance as he stared her down. "Let's face it, I need to be able to protect myself and Karakura, which equates to me having my powers back. Why can't you see that?"

"It's not your job to chase hollows and save spirits. Soul Society was created to prevent this kind of thing from happening," he replied, sighing as he took a seat at the edge of her bed and running a hand through his softly spiked hair. Frustrating wasn't a good enough word to describe the feeling whenever he was faced with a Kurosaki's tenacity, as he willed his power levels down to something more manageable. With a shake of his head, he rested his elbows on his knees, hunching over as he thought about alternatives to the current dilemma. Atypical to his usual routine, Hitsugaya could come up with nothing.

"And yet we seem to be having more problems than solutions at the moment." She rolled her eyes heavenwards, her sarcasm dripping as she tossed her pillow at his form, earning an outright irritated glance and slight snarl of his lips. She smiled brightly in return just to be a little more obnoxious.

"Fine, how's this? I'll talk with those over in Soul Society and get their input on this decision before we make anything concrete. If we need someone else here, then we'll reassign the current shinigami and replace him with someone more—" he paused, searching for the right word to accurately describe the conditions concerning her and her hometown, "—_capable_ for a place as energy-saturated as this."

"You can't fire, Kurumadani!" she yelled indignantly, taking back her cushion only to toss it at his head this time. She noted that it hit him square in the face, and there was some small amount of satisfaction because of it.

"What the hell are _you_—?"

"He hasn't done anything wrong! Just 'cause he's slow doesn't mean you have to get rid of him," Karin chastised, narrowing her stare to give off some of her incense. Going slack-jawed, Toushirou turned his stare to Karin, his disbelief potent in her small bedroom and flowing out in waves from his _reiatsu_. Was this girl never satisfied?

Clenching his jaw muscles, he spoke through two rows of teeth. "Then what would you like me to do?"

Grinning at him in a charmingly disarming way, her eyes practically twinkled with her demand. "I'd like to have my powers back, please."

"No." Annoyed for even trying, Toushirou's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.

With a pout, she sat back and leaned against the wall behind her, eyes darkening with her labile mood. "Then I want you to leave, Toushirou. If you're not going to compromise, then neither will I. Feel free to show yourself out."

As Karin hugged her pillow closer, she was combating the need to hit him with it again, though it wasn't any sort of threat to the powerful spirit. But she was smart enough to know she only had so much luck when it came to this particular shinigami and she wasn't about to push that limit further than need be, no matter how much she wanted to do so. Climbing beneath her covers, Karin gave him the stink eye when he didn't stand and exit out the window as she expected him to.

"By the way, when I said leave, I didn't just mean my room." Haughtily, she settled onto her back, the blanket pulled to her chin as she forcefully closed her eyes. "I'd prefer it if you'd personally go back to Soul Society and figure out everything you need to do there. Also, never coming back to this side of the Human World is another option you should consider."

"I'm not leaving."

Sitting up abruptly, Karin went wide eyed when he went to her closet and began pulling out the folded futon. That cot had seen more than its fair share of otherworldly guests taking refuge on it, as memories of Rukia-nee camping out in that small space filled her mind for a second. But it was quickly replaced by a sense of dread, as he laid it across the floor and spread out the accompanying blanket on top of it.

"What the hell, Toushirou?" she whispered furiously, catching sight of the time and cursing herself for fighting so loudly with him up until now. While she had no doubt that Beardy was well aware of their visitor and just plain didn't care (lousy father that he was), Yuzu was asleep right down the hall and her interference was something she wanted to avoid completely. That girl could give Matsumoto a run for her money in the ability to jump into business that was none of her concern.

"I'm certainly not going back to Urahara's after what happened today," he snorted, still in spirit form as he placed his zanpakuto against the wall and stripped off his kosode, his rented _gigai_ at said candy shop. If it wasn't for the white shirt underneath, she'd be screaming a host of curse words and beating the soul reaper within an inch of his afterlife. As strange as it sounded, Karin had no doubt she'd carry through with her plan if she saw the need for it. "Just today, I gave you a few hours to cool down and you run straight into a hollow's path. At least if I'm nearby, I won't have to play hide 'n seek with you."

"Please, it's not as if I can move all that quickly right now anyway." The stabs at him about her missing abilities were getting old, but they were necessary nuisances. Her options were limited, and if she couldn't convince him of their usefulness to her and her hometown, then the last six months of training would've been for naught.

"Regardless, I'd feel safer knowing you were within close proximity to me." Getting beneath the double-sewn blanket, he settled down and closed his eyes, looking more like he was meditating than sleeping. But the questions were piling up in her head, as Karin let another loose, turning on her side so she could look down at him from the edge of her mattress.

"What's with you, Toushirou? I don't remember your maternal instincts being so strong the last time we saw each other."

A white eyebrow twitched but both eyes remained closed. "For some reason, these so-called 'maternal instincts' only seem to kick in when you're nearby. Only the Spirit King knows why, but it's true." Turning onto his left, he intentionally placed his back to her to get out from beneath her inquisitive stare. "I can't leave you alone."

Heart pumping a little harder, she took a second to gulp down her nerves, as she felt her mouth begin to dry. She couldn't help herself this time either so she spoke again.

"Why?" It was so hauntingly simple, and yet there was so much more to that one word, loaded with a hundred-million things that she was sure they didn't know the answers to. It was so blatantly transparent that even Hitsugaya could recognize the layers beneath the remark, both a quiet plea and soft demand, as he mulled it over in his head, the silence reigning over them in an eerily unfamiliar way. Tempted to call out to him when he doesn't reply for a long while, Karin bites her tongue when he does answer, his response almost as terrifyingly deep as her inquiry.

"While there may be many things I choose to protect, you're one of the few that isn't an option."

It became silent as they left the underlying significance hang between them, a fog of vague discomfort that was almost tangible between them. But, there was also something lovingly warm in his tone, a sound that Karin hadn't expected and probably never would've believed if she hadn't heard it herself. As she stared at the ceiling, hands tucked behind her head in serious contemplation, she finds that sleep eludes her for the second time in two days.

* * *

><p>By the end of the following day, Karin was sure that Hitsugaya Toushirou was a harbinger of bad luck.<p>

While there was no scientific evidence or in-depth study on this phenomenon, she knew for a fact that she wasn't exaggerating or making up the theory in the slightest. Case in point, she wasn't even done with her classes and yet she'd become prime entertainment for her entire grade, maybe even her whole school, all because of _him_. What was even worse was the fact that she couldn't yell at him even though he was constantly hovering over her shoulder, and, if she was interpreting his aura correctly, he seemed downright pleased with himself. Bastard.

After rushing out of her house at breakneck speed, her clothes already rumpled from her super fast change and a piece of toast hanging between her lips, she bolted towards school after not properly waking up. She would've loved to blame Toushirou or even her sister, however they'd been trying for over half an hour to rouse her but to no avail. Then, just as she was about to cross the gate with eight minutes to spare, Yusuke's form had appeared before her seemingly from nowhere, causing her to halt with a skid and near-fall to the floor. If it wasn't for the fact that he looked pathetically apologetic and currently stood in her path, she was sure she would've run right past him without even noticing.

"Umm, Kurosaki, about yesterday…" he trailed off, looking down and scuffing his foot against the dirt of the pavement. As she watched him stutter out an explanation for his rather forceful confession, Karin felt oddly sympathetic for him, though she wasn't quite sure if it was actual empathy or her tiredness taking over her brain. But regardless of the fact that she couldn't return his feelings with good conscience, Karin would always consider him a friend first and that loyalty was a companionship that meant everything to her.

With a clap of her hand on his shoulder, Karin gave him a wide, toothy grin. "Don't worry so much, Yusuke. No harm, no foul, right? We're pals so there's nothing you need to say sorry for."

Looking a bit shocked at first, he slowly replied in turn with a shy smile of his own, as Karin offered him a victory sign before she was bounding onto the school grounds, now with only three minutes to get to homeroom. But before she could get far enough away, Yusuke's voice caught up with her. To her dismay, it was a declaration she hadn't expected, and thus one with no way for her to stop.

"If things don't work out with your boyfriend, come to me, okay? I'll definitely be there for you!"

"_What the hell are you—?_" But she was cut off when the two-minute bell rang, a sign that they were supposed to be in class right at that moment or suffer the consequences. Cursing the boy's existence and choosing to ignore a vastly amused Hitsugaya, Karin was sprinting up to the third floor of her building, praying to Kami that Yusuke's last words were heard by an insignificant few who would find them completely uninteresting.

Unfortunately for her, the rumor was just too juicy to pass up.

While not quite on par with her brother's delinquent status, Karin was known as the pretty, if not rather violent, tomboy of her school, the type of person that was either worshipped or hated with very few in-betweens. While girls seemed half-enamored with her justice-seeking ways, boys weren't as fond of a female who was neither charmed by flirtations nor easily overwhelmed with threats. She had a backbone that made them seem like sponges in comparison, which meant that they all had at some point or another lost face in front of the fairer sex because of her frighteningly logical comebacks. However, when it came to those of the same gender, Karin found it very difficult to remain as hard-assed and impassive as she'd like.

"The rumors say that Mikami Yusuke confessed to you! Is it true?"

"What was your answer? You couldn't have turned down someone so popular, right?"

"But he said you had a boyfriend, Kurosaki! What's that story?"

"I wanna know too! Is he cute?"

"Cuter than Mikami-san? I _can't_ believe that."

Surrounded by the female half of their class, Karin was crowded into her desk on all sides, held hostage against her will and much too polite to just push them all out of her way, despite the pleasure it would give her. Even Yuzu had come running down the hall from her own room once the news got to her, pleading with puppy-dog eyes to tell her everything. And she was so close to caving too, her sister's tears a weakness that she'd never been able to fully fight off. All the while, Toushirou was sitting off by the window, looking outside and pretending that he wasn't listening to every word.

"Oi, look, it's Yusuke-kun!" one of the girls whispered harshly, as the easygoing boy reentered the classroom after what was likely a bathroom trip. His eyes went straight to the group of girls, most he recognized and a few he didn't, before settling on the one in the middle of the orbit. When he saw the black glare aimed at him, he stepped back as if physically pushed.

"Yusuke-kun! Tell us about Karin-chan's boyfriend!" Yuzu waved him over, that pretty smile of hers melting even the strongest of kneecaps to gel. Despite his earlier reaction to her menacing stare, Karin could only roll her eyes as he made his way over, acting positively like a snake to its charmer.

"I'm surprised she hasn't told you, Yuzu-san. From the way he was acting, he and her seemed like they'd been together a long time."

"Shut up, Yusuke!" Karin yelled, wanting to hush her twin's delighted squeals and halt the running of the wheels in the other girls' heads. Now Toushirou was outright watching the chaos with a small smirk that, under different circumstances, would've been attractive on that pretty face of his. At the moment though, he was just all types of annoying smugness.

"Have you been holding out on me, Karin?" With her balled hands on her hips, Yuzu stared down with adorable authority that wouldn't have intimidated a squirrel, let alone her. But she knew she was in deep when Yusuke opened that damned mouth of his.

"He's kinda hard to miss so I don't think he goes to our school…" All eyes gathered on him, most eager and cajoling while one contrasting pair was murderous with a side of 'I-will-kill-you-after-this'. Unfortunately, he was completely blind to that one. "He was either a half-European mix—" a chorus of 'ooh's erupted that only made Karin roll her eyes, "—or he was some kind of delinquent, but either way, he was a good looking guy, if, you know, I thought stuff like that when I see other guys—"

"Describe him," Yuzu demanded, her eyes narrowing with conviction that was usually reserved for the most pressing of situations. Karin supposed that this was one of them, as her classmate kept on flapping that yap of his.

"Tall, maybe 178 centimeters, with shaggy spikes for hair. Always wears this frown on his face like nothing in life really matters to him. But the real kicker is that he's got bleached white hair—doesn't look dyed at all either!—and these really cold, green eyes. Might be our age but somehow he feels like an adult, you know."

Just the description had the widest grin slipping onto Yuzu's face, as everyone around her was immersed in talking about the vague but accurate details of Karin's so-called boyfriend. But what she was really worried about was the look of maniacal glee in her sister's eyes, as if she'd just gotten everything she'd ever wanted for Christmas in a single day and that their entire house was now decorated in glitter, ponies and stars. Karin had never seen the face of true evil until that very moment.

"Hitsugaya-kun came back and you didn't tell me?" she whined sweetly, lunging for her sister to grab her into a bear hug. However, Karin's instincts were on and working at speeds far beyond the normal, as she took that instance to break away from the group and run out the door. So what if she was going to miss her fourth period class? She'd sneak back in after lunch and no one would be any wiser, she thought, bolting to the school's roof that was currently devoid of other inhabitants. Opening and slamming the door with a rush of adrenaline, she leaned against it, panting loudly for a second before grinding her teeth in frustration. Her follower's insubstantial form as it rose up from the cement floor only made her grind them harder.

He smiled serenely, as if her life wasn't merely a spectacle for him to enjoy. "You know, you're going to be late for class."

"Shove it, Shorty. I don't take orders from you or anybody else," Karin spat back, pushing off the metal and clearing the distance between them. While her glower was fierce and her nickname for him still as annoying as ever, Toushirou was mighty composed in the face of her intimidation, not to mention far too pleased for reasons she didn't know. "And why are you so happy? Now everyone in school is gonna assume you're my boyfriend, especially Yuzu, and you know how annoying she can get with stuff like that."

"Because this makes my job infinitely easier," he replied with a shrug, looking as if all the pieces of his mysterious scheme had fallen into place at last. All Karin could think was that he was finally losing what little sanity he had left.

"Is that so? Care to tell all the little boys and girls just what the hell that means?"

He raised a brow at her chosen wording, but didn't rise to her snark. "I'm supposed to guard you at all times, but it's difficult for me to do so closely without being next to you physically. What better cover is there than pretending to be your boyfriend?"

"How about the fact that… _I. Don't. Want. That?_" Each punctuated word was done with a poke of her finger to his chest, which consequently went through his particle state. The wry glance he gave spoke volumes for their current clashing, as if she'd just made his point in a roundabout way.

She groaned when she realized that she had. "Ugh! C'mon, Toushirou, you can't actually—"

Stopped midway, a scream that was literally falling out of the sky interrupted her, as she looked up to see if the source truly was coming from there. Pushing Karin out of the way with the tiniest bit of _kidou_, Toushirou surrounded her with a barrier and watched as something impacted the roof with a deafening boom, debris and rocks flying out from the crater that had newly embedded itself before them. With eyes the size of saucers, Karin stood up to peer closer and past the cloud of dust. The white-haired shinigami was already ahead of her, Hourinmaru drawn as he deemed the unidentified falling object an arrancar, one on the weaker side but doubtlessly dangerous.

"Stay behind me!" But he was too late, as Karin rushed into the hole once the smoke cleared, obviously not caring for her safety in the least. Growling deep in his throat, Toushirou summoned his last bit of serenity as he dove in after her, not sure if he was going to slaughter the newcomer or the irresponsible halfling. Pleading temporary insanity seemed like a good enough excuse, he thought to himself, as he moved to stand beside the younger girl and examine the fallen hollow.

But it was nothing like he expected.

"Do hollows make babies?" Karin inquired, honestly confused as she tilted her head and squatted before the child-like monster. With a mask sitting atop its head, it looked to be a female arrancar, small and delicate but obviously not if one remembered her less than graceful landing. Her hair was sea foam green in color with the slightest strip of red running along her face, as both of her eyes remained closed and her mouth parted from being knocked unconscious.

"Karin, be careful. We don't know when it'll—" Cut off by the being's movements, Hitsugaya watched as the cloaked figure began to flutter her lashes, consciousness only a few steps away. Putting himself between Karin and the unknown spirit, the teenager didn't take it well when he restarted his usual overbearing tendencies, something he had dubbed as 'protecting the idiot human girl.'

"She's a kid! She's not gonna hurt us!"

"We can't be sure of that," he replied, watching as the little child stopped drooling long enough to open her eyes to the blinding sun and sit up slowly. As she took in her surroundings, he murmured in a hushed tone. "For all we know she could have great powers that are merely in hibernation."

"Whatever, Toushirou," she said with a nonchalant wave of her hand, dodging past him to approach the kid, who looked at the unfamiliar setting but saw nothing she recognized. Even from afar Karin could see the tears welling up in her bright, almost glowing hazel eyes, the unnatural color belonging to some otherworldly creature with abilities that could likely destroy her in an instant. But right at that second, Karin could only see a lost girl in a strange environment and no one to turn to.

"Hi there. I'm Karin." She introduced herself with a hand extended, kneeling before the pretty child with a friendly smile and all the sweetness she could muster. While she wasn't nearly as good with kids as Yuzu nor as easily trustable as Ichi-nii, she was proficient enough that she could get a name and back story without breaking any fingers or toes. Or, she hoped so at least.

But then the little hollow started to cry.

And it wasn't that sniffling, tears-falling-in-trails-from-one's-eyes kind of crying either. No, it was one of those theatrical sobbings, her tiny body heaving with sadness and with a screech that could surely be heard by all the supernatural-sensitive beings within a three-kilometer radius. Snot was driveling down her face just as much as the salt water, her hands flailing about in absolute chaos that made Karin fall backwards defensively. When she looked over at Toushirou for help, he merely shrugged his shoulders, silently telling her that this was her mess to clean up.

_Some bodyguard you turned out to be_, Karin grumbled inwardly, as she pasted on a convincingly amicable smile and tried again. "Now, now, it's okay! Nee-chan and Nii-san are gonna help you find your way home! So, please stop crying!"

"W-where am I?" she snorted softly, wiping at her face and forcing her snivels into frequent hiccups, as she squinted at the Kurosaki before her.

"You're in the Human World," Karin responded in kind, relieved that she'd stopped blubbering long enough to form a full sentence. "I'm not sure how you got here, but we'll do everything we can to help you, okay?"

"Human World… Do you knows Itysugo?" With the girl's eyes lighting up, Karin frowned when she didn't recognize the name, as she turned back to her companion to see if it rang a bell with him. A shake of his head was his answer.

"I'm sorry, I don't know an I-Itsu, umm, _Itsyugo_." Her tongue stumbled over the babyish speech, not liking the way the syllables blurred together and into each other. It seemed that the answer didn't sit well with the other, as her eyes began to water and threatened to spill for a second time. Reeling back a bit, she could feel the tense irritation coming off of Toushirou, who looked torn between destroying the hollow and leaving before having to hear her resounding whine.

"H-how can you'z not know Itsyugo? Isn't he friendz with the shinigami?" Turning her freely crying eyes and pursed lips to Hitsugaya, he regarded the child with impassive eyes, the slightest disapproval on his face at her last words. While not the most sociable person, he knew the names and stations of a number of soul reapers situated throughout the World of the Living but it was impossible to memorize them all. "He wear all black like you, but carries _huuuggeee_ sword like, like... a meat cutter! And, and, and, he's got owangy hair and bwown eyes. He know about Nel, he protects Nel!_ I wanna see Itsyugo!_"

The description of her so-called shinigami friend had light bulbs illuminating over their heads, as Karin and Toushirou exchanged understanding looks. From a quick retelling of his time in Hueco Mundo, the captain did remember the name of the former Third Espada, who had turned into a toddler-like arrancar during the early times of Aizen's reign. Not only had the Shinigami Substitute saved her, but it was reciprocated when the weak tag-along regained her memories and full-on powers to then defend a weakened Ichigo. But with the kid known as Nel in this world and Ichigo out of the city at the moment, it seemed like the responsibility of getting her home safely was now nestled within his authority.

Without a doubt, Toushirou had decided that this might just be the worst assignment he'd ever taken on, while on her end Karin was more than sure that he was Murphy's Law personified. Because with Hitsugaya, everything that can go wrong will.

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: While I was thinking of this chapter, I was actually wondering if Nel falling from the sky would be a good idea. Then, just as I'm catching up on the Bleach manga ('cause the anime is over for now), NEL DOES FALL OUT OF THE SKY! With Pesche (and that's the spoiler, in case you haven't read the latest arc), and I was like, this is a sign from the universe (or Kubo-sensei, whatever) that I need to write this into my story!

Thus, the next chapter will be babysitting goodness featuring Toushirou, Karin and Nel! Oh, and a little visit from Ichigo too! Look forward to it. =D

Thanks for reading and please review/favorite/alert at your leisure! Until next time, guys~


	4. Makeshift Family

**AN**: Oh my gosh, I wrote something for this story! Is anyone else excited too? Haha. Unfortunately, I had a bit of writer's block, but since I had some time and I was inspired by another fic that I couldn't help but start, it lit a candle under me and got me interested in working on this one again.

Thank you's for this chapter (because they're so overdue!):

**Ultimate Black Ace**: Aww, but I really appreciated the suggestion. :) I hope you like this chapter and I certainly hope it was worth the wait.

**Freezheer**: I actually only read the beginning chapters of the new arc but I got bored. I guess I'm more of an animation girl. Haha. Thanks for reviewing~

**RavenBlack**: I really do try and make the HitsuKarin feel real, so I'm glad you like their interactions so much. And Nel is just the most amazing plot device ever. Haha. She's so useful.

**AnneRose**: I LOVE YOU TOO~ =D

**Shiro00Kuro**: I wish Kudo Tite would give me couples that lived at this point, even if it's not HitsuKarin. Haha. But I agree. I think Karin would inject a lot of awesomeness into Bleach.

**Empresseror88**: Thank you so much! Wow, I didn't realize that I wrote Hitsugaya a bit differently than most, but I see him as a stubborn guy so I make him one. Haha. I hope this has a little more romance for you~

**Liliv00**: I play with that idea quite a bit. You'll see~

**Spark your Creativity**: I've gotten much better just over the last year or so, so it's nice to hear that people appreciate the changes and developments I've undergone to get where I am so thank you. :D

**Mary-goround**: I hope I live up to the expectation. =D

**Ellie22**: Thank you! I'll always be here, just typing away so please enjoy this part too!

**Oumi**: Here you go! Hope it was worth the wait. *fingers crossed*

**Black Rose**: In my mind, Yuzu was always the scarier twin. LOL! Please enjoy this chapter too~

_Warnings_: I didn't put Ichigo in this part but I will include him in the next one. Sorry guys! This got a little long and if I'm gonna end it in the next part, I needed to save his cameo for later. :)

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Four: Makeshift Family<em>

From lunch onward, the day was just one travesty after another.

After a tongue whipping that could've put a Catholic school teacher to shame, Karin had all but commanded that Toushirou go to Urahara's and find out what he could do for their new guest. And while he'd tell anyone who asked that he put up a grand ol' fight against the Kurosaki girl, in truth he was a bit terrified of the look she gave him, one he was sure only the _soutaichou_ could use but saved for dire moments. But, with a former Espada breeching what should be human-only territory, he supposed beggars couldn't be choosers.

"_Ara_? Is this what I think it is?" Urahara asked behind his white paper fan, looking down at the blue-haired child perched on Hitsugaya's shoulder (she had adamantly refused anything other than a piggyback ride before they'd left). Clinging to the black _kosode_, her head peeked out just over the edge before Hitsugaya grabbed her by the neck of her cloak and dangled her in front of the shop keeper. Between them, a snot bubble popped in hello.

Hitsugaya only had two words for the former captain. "Fix this."

"Now that's not nice at all, Hitsugaya-kun. Poor Arrancar-chan isn't broken." He smirked openly as he took the wriggling child into his arms, her quiet protests over now that she was wrapped in a strong pair of arms. Staring up at the man with light stubble on his chin, her big brown eyes watched as he continued to irritate the young shinigami.

The muscles in Hitsugaya's eyelid contracted abnormally. "That isn't what I meant and you know it."

Deciding that there was still more fun to be had with the current turn of events, Urahara gestured for Toushirou to follow him inside to relay what happened in full. For the rest of the school day, he had to explain Nel's appearance, decide what they should do with her until they could bring her back and find her a proper _gigai_ until her ride home was prepared. But with Nel's excitable energy, Urahara's penchant for mischief and Tessai's weakness for compliments on just about anything, Toushirou felt like he was in a circus more than a secret headquarters for covert soul reaper operations. Then again, with the shelves stocked with candy and the other rooms lined with Kisuke's other damned inventions, he supposed it made sense to some extent.

"Remember to tell Karin-chan that the Garganta will be ready in, oh, about thirty hours from now." Glancing at his watch, Kisuke nodded with a dopey grin on his face, just as Jinta and Ururu were coming up the walkway that splintered off from the main street. Noting that it was a little past three, Toushirou realized that schools were beginning to be released. As he said goodbye with a slight tilt of his head, both him and Nel treaded down towards Karakura High, suited in their respective faux bodies. Now settled into her new form, the pretty hollow looked much more like human child—though her coloring was nearly as outrageous as the shinigami boy's—as she waved goodbye to her new favorite candy shop owner, sucking on a lollipop as they departed.

"Oi, Manager, are you sure you got that right?" Jinta asked, as the overly muscled boy toed off his shoes and entered into the main living area while the other stood in front to greet Ururu.

He chanced a perplexed glance at the younger man. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, doesn't it only take a few minutes to open that Garganta thing, especially after all the so-called 'special upgrades' you did over the last few years?" The suspicion in his eyes was heavy as the other tapped his folded fan against his head, acting as if he was quite befuddled with the news. But that was all it was, an act, and both of the teenagers knew it.

"Did I say 'hours'? I meant minutes! Oh my, in my old age I'm getting more and more forgetful. Not nearly as sharp as I was when I was a hundred. Ah well, they'll be back tomorrow so no harm done." Looking oddly pleased with himself, the young wards could only watch their surrogate father return to his room with sweat drops lining their brows, wondering why they continued to put up with this man's strangeness.

Well, for one thing, the food was good…

* * *

><p>Sighing deeply as she was finally released from her hellish history class, Karin could only thank Kami that she'd managed to survive the day in its entirety. As soon as she'd gotten back to class after skipping out on lunch with her friends, she'd promptly ignored any of the questions thrown her way, didn't say a word in PE (though she had been dying to tell her teammates to <em>pass<em> the damn ball) and rushed out of class like a bat out of hell before they could corner her again.

Even Yuzu was getting the 'cold shoulder' treatment, as she asked her sister to wait for her until their class meeting ended so they could walk home together, but Karin had rushed by with the excuse that she had a ton of homework. A complete lie since the only thing she'd been assigned was to begin reading a few chapters due next week, which meant no one would touch it until the weekend. She was home free so long as she got to her house safe and sound, and hopefully to a sight that did not include small, jade toddlers and green-eyed pretty boy spirits.

Karin was expecting too much.

As she stepped onto the outside campus, her eyes were immediately drawn to the crowd of girls huddled there, loud screams punctuated with excited, high-pitch tones that were made for gossip. Deciding that she'd had more than her fair share of it for the day, Karin was eager to get past them and outside to liberty and happiness, two things that were lacking in her school as of late. However, the epicenter of that crowd was drawing her closer to its core and that in itself should've been a warning.

"_KARN!_" an innocent but booming voice called out to her, making her freeze dead in her tracks. Her spine stiffened as her mind registered who'd shouted out what was to become her new moniker by the small monster.

"What did you just call me?" she asked in kind to the bellowing, as the people around her parted to reveal the source of their obvious fascination.

Of course Toushirou was there as well, dressed in a pair of casual jeans and black shirt oddly reminiscent of their few childhood memories together. And he was still as devastatingly attractive in solid form as he was in his spirit one, a thought that all the other girls seemed to agree with. Vaguely she wondered if there was an incantation to make others fall in love with you and if he'd managed to set every school girl's heart aflame with the fake emotion.

But the boy didn't need it, damn him, as he watched her with measured coolness that hid his simmering curiosity at her attempted escape. In his arms, Nel was waving both of her upper limbs about as if she was calling the girl from far away rather than ten feet, her enthusiasm palpable. If Karin wasn't so annoyed with how her life was going today, she'd have found the little girl adorable, but at the moment it was almost as bad as Hitsugaya's enjoyment at her expense.

"Karn, me and Touchi came heer to get chyu!" the hollow explained, looking so different that Karin had to blink a few times to figure out who was talking to her. Without the bone mask and desert tunic, Nel looked so much smaller, younger in a way that she made her almost ask what happened to the child they'd found falling from the sky.

Ignoring all the curious (and somewhat spiteful) stares, Karin raised a brow to the older boy, obviously amused. "'Touchi,' huh?" She smiled as he started to look uncomfortable, as if the entire name thing was out of his hands, which was more than likely the truth.

"Not a word, _Karn_," was his only reply, eyes flashing in a way that only made her smirk menacingly.

"Karin-chan, is that your boyfriend?" Peering around her for a second, her eyes came to rest on one of her classmates, her hand up as if she was whispering some secret that no one else should hear. She almost laughed because she was sure that everyone in the vicinity had the exact same question on their minds.

Shaking her head, she tried to clear up the misunderstanding. "No! You see, this is Toushirou. He and I aren't really—"

"Sure what we are," he butted in, coming forward to intercept Karin's words and counter any of her nay sayings. He'd meant it when he said that a 'relationship' would make things infinitely easier, and if that meant getting her into a little bit of trouble, well, then all the more reason to do it in his mind.

Hearts were literally coming out from the teenage girl's eyes. "You're so handsome. Please take good care of Karin-san. She's new to the whole 'relationship with cute guys' thing, so that's probably why she doesn't want to call you her boyfriend." That last bit on the end sounded especially apologetic, as Hitsuagaya did his best not to grin at the insanity of it all.

"I completely understand. I promise to take good care of her," he replied in that gentlemanly way of his, Nel still in his arms when he gave the slightest bow, as if a suitor asking a parent for their daughter's hand in marriage. All Karin could do was stutter and shout off to the side, flailing her arms about in absolute horror. But the way every girl seemed to glow under Toushirou's soft and inviting gaze (one Karin was sure he'd used to get out of a number of things once he figured out how hot he was), her words were just whispers in the wind, nonsensical and unimportant in comparison.

Curious, Nel raised her hand in question. "So… Karn lubs Touchi?"

"Oh my God, not you too, Nel!" Slamming her hands over her face, the inferno of heat from her cheeks was bleeding up through her ears and down her neck. The arrancar's comment only had more of her schoolmates squealing, enthused by the innocent inquisitiveness and encouraged by Toushirou's vague but implied statements.

"Yes, Nel, Karn lubs Touchi," the white-haired boy repeated, not even trying to hide the pleased grin that was overtaking his face. He could feel the angry sparks coming off of Karin, in spite of the bracelet's power, but there was no harm in taking a few cheap shots at her expense. After all, there were worse things than having him as a boyfriend, right?

"And Touchi lubs Karn, lots and lots?" Big, green-brown eyes stared up at him in wonder, as if mesmerized by the idea. Frowning inwardly, he schooled his features to keep that same inviting look, but inside he chewed on the thought, asking himself if it was okay to promulgate this ruse further at Nel's expense. But, even as he nodded, the gentle honesty starting to fill his eyes told the little visitor that they weren't just empty words.

"Don't lie to her, Toushirou!" Snatching the impressionable kid from his embrace, Karin placed her on the floor before squatting down and attempting to explain the situation. "Look, Nel, while Touchi and I don't hate each other, we're not in love with each other either, okay? You should only use the word 'love' with someone you really, really, _really_ care about and not some guy who's just saying this for his own agenda."

Not quite holding back the satisfied smile on his face, Hitsugaya crossed his arms over his front, watching as Karin kept trying to reform the blue-haired demon's mindset. Unfortunately it was a tough sell, as evidenced by the invisible question marks sprouting above her head while watching the high schooler with large, dumbfounded eyes. Perhaps the matters of the heart were a bit too mature for the immature creature, as the Kurosaki eventually gave in with a defeated sigh.

"Excuse me?" Turning, Toushirou greeted the caller with a polite glance, causing her to flush heavily in response.

"Are you really going out with Kurosaki-senpai?" the underclassman inquired doubtfully, eyes shining up at him. When he nodded, she furrowed her brows. "Why?"

He paused before answering. "What do you mean 'why'?" _Because I want to_ was going to be his next sentence but denied himself the little slip, deciding he could only push his luck so far before inciting karma's wrath. The implications and playful responses were enough, but outright declarations were dangerous things he couldn't afford to give.

"She's, well, _her_. And you're, well, _you_." The eloquence of teenage girls was nothing if not poetry, Toushirou mused sarcastically, lifting an offended brow in lieu of what would've surely been Karin's angry outburst if she'd heard the other girl.

"Karin is an amazing person and if I have to justify how I feel about her to some stranger, then it's likely that person's opinion doesn't matter to me at all." While not the type to be relentless against such an obviously weaker enemy, Hitsugaya found that he could make an exception just this once. Watching as the girl blushed a furious red, caught between embarrassment and spurned fury, he turned away to call Karin's attention to him, as she lifted herself from Nel's level.

"We're leaving, Karin. It's getting late so Nel and I will keep you company on your way home."

"No, that's not really necessary…" she tried to say, but his eyes hardened in a way that told her he wasn't accepting no for an answer. Bristled by the silent command, Karin opened her mouth with an irritated scowl but stopped when someone tugged on her hand.

Looking down, Nel was gripping her left hand with her right, her big eyes pleading at her. "Pwease don't fight with Touchi. He just lubs Karn," she reasoned cutely, pulling on the other's fingers with shy affection

Somehow it zapped the fight out of her, though her annoyed glance at Toushirou told him that she wasn't through with him just yet. But instead of being annoyed or even entertained by the idea, he looked outright unrepentant. Perhaps, he thought as he watched Karin lead the little arrancar out of the crowd with expressive gesticulations and an excited look, it had something to do with the fact that Nel might not be completely wrong.

* * *

><p>"So, what are your intentions with my daughter?"<p>

Choking on a rather large piece of chicken while in the middle of dinner, Hitsugaya gasped and wheezed beneath his host's indigo stare, the other's arms crossed over his broad chest in a mimicry of authority. It didn't hit lightly that Toushirou was not only having dinner with a former captain of the _Gotei_ Thirteen, he was having it under the pretense that he was dating his daughter. Of course, that was mainly because of Yuzu's insistence and since the rumors around school were running rampant because of his little visit he couldn't really say otherwise.

Throwing a small ball of rice at her father, Karin didn't even bat an eyelash at the question, strangely calm about the whole matter. Within him, a small surge of fear settled into Hitsugaya's bones. "Please, spare me, Goat Chin. You know for a fact he's a shinigami captain and therefore practically asexual."

"Hey!" he yelled, frown deepening as his cerulean glare landed on his so-called friend. Her ebony one held none of the regret he had wanted, but he knew he was being stupid for even expecting it. This was Karin's home. She'd bring the whole place down before she admitted anything even slightly close to contrition for him.

She pointed her chopsticks at him, impolitely. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"You're wrong." Glaring lightly, he took another piece of food and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoroughly as he watched her with calculated patience.

"Oh yeah? Name one captain that has a spouse. Hell, I'll even give you dating, just to make it easier on you."

Tilting his head to the side, his audience looked at the young prodigy keenly (and with just a bit of smugness that was all Karin's). Scowling, he closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. Sad to say, Toushirou had no words and both he and Karin knew it. Throwing him a triumphant look, she was prepared to give him her well-prepared 'I told you so' but was cut off by a counter-argument.

"Well, Touchi lubs Karn."

Four heads swiveled towards the child monster, who was holding her spoon awkwardly as she brought some rice to her dirtied mouth. All around the table, everyone had the most contradicting expressions on and the body language to match. The effervescent joy on Yuzu's was a stark contrast to the horror on Karin's, the latter actually digging her entire face into her palms and asking why anyone would say such blasphemy with her hyperactive family members present.

Gulping a bit on his end, Toushirou could feel a bit of sweat gathering along his neck as dark, beady eyes belonging to a certain doctor eyed him suspiciously. This was a man who had taken a human wife and sired three half-shinigami, someone who had loved his spouse dearly, and Hitsugaya wasn't going to make a mockery of that affection by putting on airs with the esteemed ex-captain. He opened his mouth to deny the claim and be honest with the older man, but Isshin spoke first.

"Hitsugaya." Toushirou clenched his hands into fists, but nodded in acknowledgement. He was prepared to speak his piece after the other said his. What he didn't expect was to feel the clap of a large hand on his shoulder, as the Kurosaki patriarch reached over the table. What was even worse was the fact that Isshin had closed the distance between them and was now crying silent tears that had Hitsugaya shrinking into his seat, wondering what was happening because he was currently being thrown for a loop. And then he spoke, and somehow it stole all of Toushirou's (and even Karin's) protests away.

"Welcome to the family, Second Son."

* * *

><p>"So, who's sleeping where?"<p>

Turning to the two supernatural beings to her right, Karin got the oddest feeling that her room was much too small to be harboring overly powerful beings. Granted, her brother had done the same when he was in high school and he'd been fine (barring his occasional disappearances and coming back bloody, of course), but there were some significant differences between her and him. For one, he had powers. And two, she was currently on parole. Hardly fair.

Hitsugaya made his way to the closet unhurriedly. "You two take the bed. I can sleep on the floor."

Nodding, Karin made her way to the newly changed sheets, expecting Nel to follow, but was interrupted when she heard a very distinct sniffle. The high schooler had to fight back a sigh and roll of her eyes, as she turned back to the small ex-Espada, who was looking up at the two of them with glassy hazel eyes.

"Aww, Nel, what is it? What's wrong?" Crouching to kneel against the wooded floor, she patted the seafoam green hair on her head, petting it softly with a matching smile. She rubbed at the child's rounded cheeks, watching as the snot came down in rivulets. Karin just chuckled at the rather unhygienic habit, as she lifted the girl into her arms.

Wiping her face, Nel turned her big, watery eyes to her host and then to the other impatient guest who could only stare at her with a bored expression. "In Hueco Moondo, I sleep wit Pesche and Dondochakka. I always sleep in middle—" she pointed on the side nearest the window, "—Pesche is der and Dondochakka is ober dere on the ossopite side. I can't sleep widout…"

As she quieted into sniffles, Karin shot Toushirou an incredulous look, one that nearly matched his. Nel didn't actually expect them to, well, _sleep together_, did she? Because there were some things that couldn't be shared between friends and a bed with a Hollow and her dead bodyguard seemed to be at the top of Karin's list. Not to mention the high Yuzu would be on when—not if, but _when_—she caught wind of the arrangement.

"Nel, I really don't think we should…" Karin began, intent on being firm but kind with her orders, but then those hazel eyes looked up at her and she knew she'd lost. She wasn't usually this weak, especially not for a pretty pair of specs like hers, but no one would blame her for this tiny oversight, right? "Fine, we can sleep in the bed, all… _three_ of us."

A spark of Hitsugaya's aura made her wince. "What did you just say?"

Sighing exasperatedly, she set Nel onto the covers so she could dig herself beneath them, peaking her head out cutely. When she turned to the reaper by her closet, she closed the distance and put up her hand, her whisper mixing in with something close to desperation.

"C'mon, it's her first night here! She has no other friends or family and she's really not even asking for anything. Can't you be the good guy just this once?"

He snorted, as he lowered his head to her level. "Oh, and I don't suppose defending our worlds from Aizen's wrath counts in my favor? How is it that she's the arrancar and _I'm_ the evil one here?"

"Look, either you sleep next to her or on the roof. Believe me, I won't lose sleep over it, but you will."

They both knew exactly what she meant. The air was still ripe with the ending of summer, the humidity a characteristic even Karin couldn't always handle. For someone like Toushirou, it would be like covering him in honey and leaving him out to dry, an uncomfortable stickiness that would only torture him until daybreak. From there, it would be the rays of the sun waking him up and burning him to a crisp that would keep him from a peaceful rest. Luckily for both of them, Toushirou was smart enough to pick his battles carefully.

"Fine. Just shut it and go to bed." There were few things he hated more than the Kurosaki grin of triumph, he thought, as he watched the younger girl climb onto the mattress and settle herself in. Karin could feel the other side shift with his heavier weight, as all of them found their respective places and turned in for the night.

* * *

><p>Shuffling beneath the covers, Karin gravitated towards the bit of shade away from the window, the intense light from the sun nothing but a nuisance and one she wanted to be rid of. In hindsight, she should've been more aware of what she was doing but that was hard when she was so desperately tired after dealing with Nel's kicking and drooling all night. It was well past three in the morning when sleep had finally overcome any of the disgusting habits the little creature had, knocking both her and Toushirou out. Only one question remained now.<p>

Why was her pillow so much warmer, larger and _comfier_ than how she remembered?

Squinting once she realized the bafflement wouldn't solve itself, Karin lifted her hand to rub the crust from her eyes as she blinked wearily, staying nearly perfectly still on her side. Of course, once the sleepiness wore off, her common sense was back. And it brought along indignant anger for company.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Screaming at the slumbering soul reaper, Karin also came to notice that her limbs were trapped against her body and that too was the white-haired captain's doing. Who knew the boy was a closet cuddler underneath all that harsh energy and perpetual frowning?

"Go back to sleep…" Toushirou mumbled, somehow turning their non-existent space even smaller, as his face buried further into her bed-tossed hair. Refusing to accept that she was turning bright red, Karin wriggled in his hold, trying to get him to at least loosen his grip so she could crawl her way out from beneath the sheets. It didn't escape her that their demon friend was all but missing from the room and probably wreaking havoc on her home.

Unfortunately, trying to escape Hitsugaya's hold was much like playing with a Chinese finger trap. The harder one pulled in any direction, the harder it was to escape, as evidenced by the arm around her waist and the leg thrown over both of hers. When she wasn't so mad over her failed attempts to flee, Karin was going to make fun of Toushirou so much.

"Please, Toushirou, wake up. Nel's somewhere in the kitchen and I need to find her and make sure she doesn't destroy the fridge or something," she pleaded with the still-sleeping boy, sensing the arrancar downstairs. From what she could tell, she was at the table and her father was nearby at the counter, probably setting something out for her. But that was odd because it was usually Yuzu who did… that…

"_She left me behind!_"

This time, Toushirou couldn't just drift back to sleep and instead shot up to attention, dragging the human girl with him. But even if his reflexes were working perfectly, Karin saw that his eyes were at half-mast and his brows were scrunched in confused disgruntlement. Not that he'd get any sympathy from her. Not only had she been fighting a battle with him for the better part of fifteen minutes, he was still clutching her to his T-shirt-clad chest.

"You awake now, Romeo?" the obsidian-colored Kurosaki snorted, tilting her head up from its resting place on his collarbone and hoping to snag his attention. Slowly, she saw the comprehension come into his tired eyes, as they fell to her form still trapped in the cage of his embrace. The shine of his emerald eyes were starting to lose that glossy coating and something intelligible was filling his features.

"Karin, why are you in my arms?" But obviously not fast enough because she was sure no one in their right mind would say something so idiotic.

"'Why am I—'?" She tripped over herself, sputtering as she straightened her spine to get closer to his eye level. But her lack of height and his refusal to let go meant she was stuck reaching his chin, as she gathered a little more self-righteous anger. "Better question: why the hell are you still hugging me?"

A pause. "Oh. Sorry about that." In her ears, Toushirou didn't sound sorry whatsoever, but she bit that sarcastic comment back so she could extract herself from his heat. For a second she wondered if his fingers purposely lingered around her middle too long or if it was just her imagination. Since the flush from earlier still wasn't quite gone, she was going to go with the latter.

"Hey, don't you have school?" Hitsugaya asked, as he ran a hand through his messy hair. Leaning on his bent knees, he watched her climb out of bed and over towards her closet. She rifled through a few tops before pulling out a tank top and then a pair of jean shorts, ones he eyed with slight disdain. Those things were much too short to be worn by a child, much less Karin.

"I'm glad you can still remember how to tell time, genius," she said with a roll of her eyes, as she pulled out a jacket and a pair of socks to finish her outfit. "But, as you can see, Yuzu and Goat Chin have decided that I should be home with you two and not in school because I obviously have no need for a future as long as shinigami are willing to butt themselves into my business and take over my life. I feel like Ichi-nii, just upgraded and with less 'I will kill you now' written all over me."

Choosing silence for a moment, Toushirou could only sigh as he let one more stupid query fall from his lips. "You're not a morning person, are you?"

"Wow, you are just hitting it out of the ballpark today, aren't you, sunshine?" Another sarcastic snort. "Get dressed. Let's get outside and do something. I'm not wasting a full day of hooky indoors trying to keep Nel contained in my house."

* * *

><p>From the minute they'd stepped out just before noon, Karin was surprised to find that it wasn't such a chore bringing Nel around. To her, everything about Karakura was new and fascinating and exciting, things Karin had often taken for granted. In the park, they'd brought her old soccer ball, the same one that Toushirou had saved that one bad day back when she was eleven. When he caught a glimpse of it, even he had smirked when nostalgia hit him.<p>

After a few failed attempts at teaching Nel soccer, they found that the little Hollow enjoyed wandering away without saying a word. This was supplemented by their panicking, trying to find her before another hollow tried to eat her. Amazingly, what they found when they found her was even worse than that, as they followed the hollers of an ice cream vendor only a few yards away from the field.

"Ahh! You can take the ice cream, kid! Just don't gnaw my hand off!" the poor distributor yelled, as a few of the parents hid their children from the gruesome sight. Skidding to a halt, Karin and Toushirou had to take a moment to stop and stare, their jaws falling slack at what was happening. It was the continued screams of terror that woke Karin from her shock.

"Nel, let go! Are you crazy? You're hurting him!" she reprimanded, moving to tug off the dangling imp from the man's arm. "If you wanted ice cream, all you had to do was ask. Now you've gone and hurt the nice ice cream man." Settling her onto the floor, Karin moved to apologize profusely, bowing as she paid for the massacred dessert Nel was holding and a little extra to hopefully stave off the man's fury.

Walking to stand beside the miscreant, Hitsugaya wasn't sure whether he was horrified or impressed. Nearly chewing off a grown man's limb in public and in broad daylight shouldn't be something that should fascinate him so much, and yet somehow it did.

"Why didn't you just ask nicely, Nel?" he inquired politely, if not a bit distantly, as he watched Karin straighten everything out with the middle-aged man.

"In Hueco Mundo, you don't ask for things, you take." And somehow her explanation made more sense to him than it rightfully should have. While one could argue that Soul Society was highly organized and more than a bit rigid, that mentality of 'eat or be eaten' wasn't an uncommon one, especially in the _Gotei_ Thirteen. A part of him was sympathetic, so much so that he unwittingly patted the girl on the head. In return, Nel turned her starry gaze up at him, as if amazed by the bit of kindness, something he hadn't truly shown her beforehand. In the end, neither of them say anything else about it.

A scolding about her manners from Karin was in order after the whole debacle, as Hitsugaya watched with amused eyes. For some strange reason, he could see an older version of her doing the exact same thing with her own children, pointing a finger as she told them what kind of behavior was to be expected once they left the house. And Nel was playing the part of repentant child, as she hung her head low and nodded, looking awfully sorry and quite ashamed about the entire ordeal. He doesn't notice the smile that slowly spreads across his face, as he leans against a nearby light post and watches with a feeling akin to contentment.

"Oh, and what's so funny, Toushirou? Don't tell me you're encouraging her?" Karin aimed her barb, glaring him down with her hands strategically placed on her hips. If he wasn't grinning before, then he certainly was now, as he took in the offensive stance and her fiery aura. It seemed that the bracelet was still fully functioning because there was no change in her _reiatsu_ whatsoever, but he could see the emotion growing with each passing second.

"You're being too hard on her. She's learned her lesson so let's go to that amusement park she's been eyeing since we got here," he said with a shrug, standing up to full height and moving over to them. Seeing the light come back into Nel's face, the side of his lip twitched at the growing anticipation.

"I'm not being too hard on her. She's in a foreign place and in public too. I can't have her attacking poor citizens every time she has the munchies!" Throwing her hands up, Karin could honestly say she hated the knowing look on her friend's face. "What is it? Tell me what you're thinking right now, or I swear I will hurt you."

Another sly beam. "You sound like a mother, Karin."

"W-wh-_what_?! No I don't!"

"Yes, yes you do. You remind me of my Granny whenever I used to eat all the watermelon before dinner, except she'd just slide me a little _amanatto_ on the side whenever she felt bad for scolding me too much."

"That only goes to show you were disciplined _after_ you got into shinigami school, or wherever you guys go to study. I guess even you big, bad shinigami captains get coddled too sometimes."

"That's right, which is why I'm not going to let you spend the rest of the afternoon boring Nel and I with lessons on etiquette. When you're through with that, we'll meet you in line for the roller coaster." Reaching out his hand in an honest gesture, he glanced at Nel for affirmation. "Shall we go?"

Nodding happily, she jumped down from her perch on the bench and grabbed his outstretched limb, hopping as he led her away. And as Karin watched them leave for a few moments, she couldn't help but wonder what just happened. Because if she didn't know any better, Toushirou and her just switched places and now she was the one playing the stick-in-the-mud. Not sure whether to laugh or cry, all she could do was run to catch up with them, a smirk falling across her face as she walked along Nel's other side.

"Y'know, Toushirou, I feel like you're gonna be a very indulgent father when you finally settle down," Karin said omnisciently, as she accepted the little girl's held-out hand with a smile. "That means you're gonna have to marry someone who's gonna be good at keeping you and your kids in line."

"Yeah," he agreed, as he watched her make funny faces with Nel out of the corner of his eye, purposely lowering his voice to a near-whisper, "that's the plan, at least."

* * *

><p><strong>AN<strong>: Really don't know whether or not this story is even considered humor, but let's pretend, shall we? Haha. So, no Ichigo yet BUT I'm gonna throw him in next chapter and probably end the story there. Also fighting myself on whether I should put the epilogue in the upcoming chapter or separately. Advice is thoroughly appreciated. :)

Anyway, thank you guys sooooo much for not giving up on this fic. My writing hasn't stopped, merely stalled because of RL, but I'll try and do it more regularly.

Until next time!


	5. Endgame Achieved

**AN**: And we've arrived at the final chapter (other than the epilogue)! Man, I'm pooped. But exams are coming up which means free time and hopefully more writing. I'm not sure though. I haven't been particularly inspired as of late but I keep battling writer's block to bring you guys what I can. :)

Thank-you's from the last chapter:

**Black Rose**: This is officially the last chapter because I always feel like an epilogue should be optional. Haha. Writing that last scene was serendipity for me. I hardly ever do family-type things so that was fun because I got to explore that part of their almost-relationship. :) As for everything else that will happen, you'll just have to read and find out. Enjoy!

_Warnings_: Nothing really. The epilogue will be posted sometime, oh, maybe next weekend (if you guys will drop me a line and tell me what you thought of this last chapter ;D) so look forward to it. It's around 3000 words itself so essentially it's its own thing with two time-jumps. Yes, that was a spoiler. Haha.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Five: Endgame Achieved<em>

Stumbling through the turn gates of the amusement park, Karin could only chuckle at the look of absolute awe on Nel's face, as the girl twirled around to try and take it all in. Granted, she was so small she probably couldn't see much from her vantage point, but she did her best anyway, standing on her tip toes and pointing excitedly at all the things she wanted to try. Deciding that she needed a boost, Karin leaned down and picked up the child-sized arrancar, who looked at her as if perplexed by the action.

"I'm not as tall as Touchi, but I'm sure you'll be able to see more from up here," she explained with a smile, causing the other to give her one in return. Just behind them, Toushirou could only watch, his face carefully blank as he saw the two interact animatedly. Inside him, something tugged at his core, bringing to mind images of a future he was sure couldn't come to pass. Him and Karin, with kids? That was all kinds of crazy nonsense, right? It was completely implausible, even if she was living proof that a relationship between a human and shinigami wasn't just some idea. That sort of thing wouldn't happen again.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

"Would you guys like a picture?" A woman dressed in a colorful shirt and visor came up to them, holding up a digital camera and a pasted-on smile. Looking back, Karin noticed the far-away look on her friend's face, who suddenly came back to reality when she shot him a worried expression.

"You okay? Do you not wanna take one?" she asked as he came to stand next to her. All he did was shake his head before turning his glance to the other woman, giving her the go-ahead. Still frowning a bit, she turned her attention back to the worker, adjusting Nel a little more comfortably in her arms.

"A little closer together, please," she directed, her hand motioning for them to eliminate the slight gap. Not sure how to invade his personal space, Karin was going to ask him when he made the decision himself. The warm weight of his arm secured itself around her waist, just as familiar as it had been earlier that morning. She knew she looked shy while Toushirou seemed downright pleased with himself.

"Wonderful. Now smile, everyone!" With a flash, the colorful employee handed them a ticket stub as they thanked her. "You're such a cute family. I hope you guys have a wonderful day."

As the worker strolled away, Karin wasn't sure whether she was supposed to deny the claim or not, mouth half-open as the lady departed towards another unsuspecting group of guests. But with Nel excitedly bouncing about in her arms and Toushirou looking coolly unperturbed, she decided it wasn't worth the hassle.

As soon as Karin let the little monster down, Nel grabbed each of their hands again and dragged them in the direction of the rides. Being as small as she was, the child Hollow was only allowed on the smaller ones, designed to cater to juvenile customers. And while she did seem disappointed at missing out on the larger, more thrilling attractions, those were soon blown away by the sight of games, the tantalizing smells of different foods and snacks, as well as the several other exhibits available.

Through it all, Karin was nothing if not impressed by Hitsugaya, who went along somewhat reluctantly but was readily compliant, despite the disgruntled look on his face. Being dragged from cart-to-cart and stall-to-stall, it would've easily worn down any normal man's nerves, probably ending in an implosion of sorts. However, Karin was quick to learn that decades with others who had attention spans the size of gnats prepared one well for a day of insanity at the hands of a happy-go-lucky arrancar.

"You know, you're holding up better than I thought you would." Her words had a bit of teasing on the end, as she held an ice cream cone in one hand and a stuffed toy in another. At the moment, Nel was riding the merry-go-round for the third time that day and somehow managing not to throw up all over the place. Quite a feat, if she said so herself.

"You obviously don't deal with Matsumoto enough if you think one day of kiddy rides and funnel cakes will break me," he snorted, sounding almost offended. The slight twitch of her lips wasn't wholly unkind, as she shrugged her shoulders a bit, licking a bit at her treat while trying not to grin completely. By the annoyed look Toushirou was shooting her, she was convinced she wasn't successful.

Not even bothering to pretend anymore, she smirked as she kept one eye on the rotating ride before her. "Well, one can only hope that the great Hitsugaya Toushirou will let his hair down for once and live a little. For some reason, the last time I remember you even close to smiling was when I was eleven and we both know that wasn't exactly yesterday."

A shrug, confident and halfhearted. "Feels like yesterday to me."

She rolled her eyes sardonically. "Of course it does. You were killing hollows before Ichi-nii was even born. Everything probably just blends together for you."

"No, not really." Here, he settled his eyes on her out of the corner of his gaze, raising his brows slightly, as if completely at ease under her challenging words. "I remember things the way you do, like if they're special or important, even traumatizing. I have more of them, but I remember them for what they are."

A disbelieving chuckle escaped her lips. "Yeah? Like what?"

"I remember you."

She paused, breath abated for a second too long. She hadn't been expecting that, but then again she hadn't been expecting a lot of things to happen these past few days.

It took a lot for Karin to bite her tongue, deciding that it was one more avenue she couldn't afford to explore. After all, he would only up and leave again, just as he always did, and she wasn't childish enough to believe she was anything other than another assignment eating up his long life. So when Nel raced off the ride and asked for another turn about the park, Karin could only smile at her, somewhat tired and more than a little confused. And she hated that he was the one of the few who could make her feel that way.

From behind them, a familiar bass filled the air. "You guys get your hands on a former Espada and you take her to an amusement park? The world as I know it no longer exists."

"Ichi-nii!" Karin exclaimed with a smile, looking at her forever-smirking older brother. Beside him, Rukia waved amicably before giving Toushirou a respectful nod, fully understanding her place even if she wasn't on-duty. He returned it with a soft one of his own.

"_ITSYUGO!_" Looking like a small, blue bullet, Karin nearly winced at the sound the arrancar made by launching herself into Ichigo's chest, hitting him like a cannonball. Torn between checking if he was okay and waiting out the surprise attack, it was pretty much a no-brainer when Nel started a snot waterfall all over his red T-shirt, as he reclined on the floor and stared up at the girl.

"It's nice to see you too, Nel." His sarcasm was lost on her, but the tone had Karin and Rukia smiling at each other, more than a little amused at Ichigo's misfortune. The scene was rather cute if one discounted the rivulets that were currently being sucked back into its owner's nostrils.

"Are you here to take her back now, Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya stepped in, as the former Shinigami Substitute sat up and placed his attacker off to the side. "Urahara warned me that it would be a few more hours until the portal could be opened."

"It's nice to see you too, Toushirou. You look grown up. Maybe you should lend Rukia a few of your secrets," he replied with a shrug, completely ignoring the officer's question. Really, they couldn't be related by blood, Karin thought with a roll of her eyes as she caught sight of the older woman's menacing face. Sometimes her brother didn't know when to shut up and stop digging his own grave.

So when his petite girlfriend frankly kicked him in the nuts with little more than a pleasant smile, she felt no sympathy for her sibling. One couldn't date the spirited Kuchiki and expect to get away with a comment like that. As she let her lover writhe on the floor with a worried Nel at his side, Rukia approached her, her gaze more meaningful that it was a second ago.

"How are you, Karin?" the smaller woman asked, her calmed expression now firmly in place.

"I'm good, Rukia-nee. Better than my brother, at least," Karin reasoned with an upturned lift of her mouth, as Nel poked Ichigo, who was still rolled into the fetal position. "You'd think he'd know better by now."

A joyless smirk. "One could only hope, but I'm afraid he's a lost cause."

"I don't get why you love him." Karin shrugged, as she watched the orange-haired hero climb to full height again and narrow a glower at his girlfriend. Rukia didn't even blink at the vengeful aura he sent her way.

"Yeah, me neither some days. One of the great mysteries of the world," the vice captain said with a wink, as her eyes finally settled on Hitsugaya. He stood a few respectful feet behind his charge, making no move to interrupt their private conversation. A glimmer of understanding entered her violet orbs, as she examined her commanding officer. "I see you've got your own 'great mystery' too."

"Huh?" Glancing over her shoulder at wherever Rukia's eyes had fallen, Karin settled on an inquisitive Toushirou, his own asking if they needed something. The biting heat that seared her skin had her flipping back to the older girl, a frown marring her features.

"Toushirou and I aren't like you guys. I mean, we're barely friends let alone… _that_." The rush of words tumbled inelegantly, doing little to convince the reaper.

"Denial is always the first step to acceptance," Rukia replied vaguely before turning back to Ichigo. He was toting the arrancar on his shoulders, who looked oddly content in her new position. On the other hand, Ichigo looked blatantly annoyed but resigned to his fate, as he saw the two women break away from each other.

"Are you two done talking? We've still got time to kill so let's do something while we're here." With nothing else, the carrot top turned his back on the group and asked Nel for their next direction. Excitedly, she pointed at one of the game booths, demanding an oversized stuffed animal that she claimed was 'ugwy, wike Dondachakka.'

At a more sedate pace, Rukia followed the eager Ichigo and Nel pair, leaving Karin and Toushirou behind. The raven-haired Kurosaki didn't have to glance behind her to the mixed look of exasperation and irritation on her friend's face. Just the thought had her giggling when he came to stand beside her.

"This was a bad idea, wasn't it?" he growled beneath his breath, watching as Nel jumped up and down on the counter, cheering for Ichigo to hit all the bottles down with his bean bags. And while the other's reflexes were nothing if not impeccable, waiting around for the former shinigami to win and trade up all those plushies wasn't exactly his cup of tea.

She shot him an accusing smirk. "Hey, this was your idea."

"Yes, it was," Hitsugaya muttered, as Rukia began to join in with the boisterous twosome. The looks they were getting from the workers and bystanders were fueling the throbbing in his temples. "And I hate myself for it."

"C'mon, they're not that bad," Karin laughed, as she glanced over at them. Unfortunately, she was forced to watch her older brother do some odd victory dance, wincing visibly as he clutched the third prize over his head triumphantly. The fact that he needed two more to get to the middle prizes was a mortification the teenager could do without. "On second thought, yeah, this is kind of all your fault."

"But you're enjoying my pain, aren't you?"

She couldn't lie. "Yes, immensely."

Determined to wipe that arrogant look off Karin's face, the older man knew he was going to enjoy her reaction after what he planned to do. Slipping his fingers into her hand, he twined them as he began moving towards the other half of their group. Her sputtering protests replaced his earlier morose, a peaking confidence as he was halted by a hard tug of his arm, making him peer over his shoulder at her.

"Yes, Karin?"

"Don't 'yes, Karin' me, you asshole," she cursed, doing her best to extract her fingers and failing hopelessly. "If my brother sees us like this, I'm gonna let him kill you while I watch. I'll laugh even while you're being hacked into pieces." She stuck her tongue out at him for good measure.

"First of all, your brother can't kill me, no matter how powerful he is." On anyone else, it might've sounded conceited but the easiness he said it with told her that it wasn't just hot air. No one became a captain at his age without the vibrato to back it. "And second, stop acting like you hate it. You've held my hand before, haven't you?"

"I'm struggling because I hate it!" she yelled with nerve, gathering a few curious stares herself. But the pink tingeing gave her away, the lie easy to say but hard to mean. It hurt even more that Toushirou was well aware of it, shooting her another haughty smile.

"Oi, you two! We're moving onto the next game!" Hearing Rukia call out to them, both snapped their attention to the threesome plus an oversized stuffed animal that well dwarfed the smallest member. Ichigo watched them curiously, his gaze shifting to their joined hands and causing Karin to blush harder, embarrassed.

With an excuse on her tongue, she couldn't even manage that as she watched the other meet Hitsugaya's intense gaze. Perhaps it was a uniquely male kind of communication because a moment later Ichigo shrugged, backing down and looking reassured. He allowed Nel to move in the direction of a competitive water gun game, none of them waiting for them.

Meeting the passive stare of her partner, Karin narrowed an irritated glare at him. "Do I even want to know what you did and how you did it?"

He shrugged, uncaring. "Some things are just better off unexplained."

"This is a guy thing, isn't it?"

"Well it's certainly not a shinigami one," Toushirou replied with a smirk before leading her along. The idea of kicking him in the knee passed through her mind but she decided to ignore it. He might do something worse and she already couldn't handle the PDA.

Between her brother's excitable immaturity and Nel's preference for mayhem, Karin wasn't sure the park was going to survive their small group's excursion. For example, she knew for a fact her brother didn't always have the best control over his inhuman strength, but destroying the basketball hoop with a free throw seemed like a bit much. After that, Rukia had steered him carefully away from the mallet at the strength game, just in case he decided to destroy the bell too.

Not that the small shinigami was innocent herself. In any game that required multiple players, the Kuchiki girl was ruthless, having no qualms about pushing her competition (usually Ichigo) or covering their eyes (usually Karin because there was no way she'd try anything with Hitsugaya-taichou). And while it mostly made the latter chuckle at her enthusiasm, the former was not so pleased when he missed first place by a measly centimeter while Rukia whooped in triumph.

"You're a freaking cheater, Rukia!" he yelled, as she happily picked out a small Chappy doll and cuddled it to your chest. "Seriously, can't you just play fair for once?"

"Someone's mad because I'm awesome and just can't handle it," she tsk-ed, as Karin and Toushirou watched Rukia puff out her chest in pride. It seemed as if it was only a matter of time before this tiff became an all-out screaming match, one they were sure she would win. Ichigo could argue all he wanted but his soft spot for Rukia was famous. He'd cut off his own hand before really upsetting her. However, the competition cooled before it could really get underway, as Hitsugaya scanned the area and noticed something wrong.

"Hey, where did Nel go?"

"She's not with you?!" the couple yelled, making Karin jump back a little as she bumped into Toushirou's form with her back. In response, he offered them an 'I'm with you guys so you're responsible for her too, you idiots' look, making them cringe before going off to search for the arrancar. It only took Karin a moment to figure it out.

"Didn't we pass a cotton candy stand a little while ago?" she winced, remembering how those amber eyes refused to stray from the pink foam and the massive line in front of it. Without a doubt, she'd snuck away in the middle of the game, the feeling of déjà vu hitting Karin as she recalled the morning's earlier fiasco.

Sometimes, she hated being right.

"I don't know how you do it, Nel," Karin spoke with no small amount of awe, as they stood before the little girl after apologizing profusely to the vendor. Really, two in one day? That must be a record somewhere.

Covered head to toe in soft, wispy sugar and seeming quite unrepentant, Nel looked completely engrossed in eating as she began to gnaw on her own arm, intent on getting every bit of it. How she'd manage to pull that stuff from her hair wasn't something Karin was all that interested in seeing.

Sighing, Rukia nudged at Ichigo before she spoke. "It looks like we should get her home and give her a bath. The gate should be ready by the time we're done and we don't wanna keep Urahara-san." Nodding, the tall man shot Rukia a bemused look as she shifted her eyes conspicuously to the powerful hollow. When he tilted his head in question, a scowl unfurled on her face as she kicked him in the shin and pointed at the oblivious girl.

"Go pick her up so we can go home, fool!"

"Me?!" he screamed back, clutching at his leg. "Why me? It was your idea!"

"You're the only one she wants! Spirit King knows why but you're her favorite! So hurry up, chop chop." Clapping her hands together, Rukia looked mighty satisfied as a grumbling Ichigo took Nel into his arms and explained that they'd be sending her back soon. Pouting and wiggling in his grasp, she argued that she didn't want to go home yet, that she wasn't done having fun with all of them. But as much as it tugged at their heartstrings, they couldn't have a being so powerful running rampant. She'd be catnip for weaker Hollows and Karakura wouldn't withstand another invasion.

"I'm sorry, Nel. I'm gonna miss you too, y'know," Karin soothed the balling child, who clutched her balled up fists to her cheeks. "I'm sure we'll see each other again someday. So please, be a good girl for Ichi-nii." As her small face became a little more receptive, the tomboy grinned widely and wiped away the tracks of tears on her Hollow friend's face. "Take care of yourself, okay? Or I'll have to send Toushirou to punish you."

The man in question snorted but didn't retaliate. His defensive posture and uninterested visage had Nel smiling again, as she turned towards him with a small wave of goodbye.

"Bai bai, Touchi. I pwomise, I be good." Then she turned back to Karin and gave her a watery smile, a track of snot with it. "I see Karn soon, yes?"

"I don't know when but definitely one day, Nel. I promise." And being a Kurosaki, she never took her promises lightly. Appeased, the ivy-colored child gestured to Ichigo that she was ready to leave, which looked ridiculous considering she was still safely in his arms and sticky with sugar. He nodded over at Rukia and turned away towards the gates.

When Karin motioned to follow after them, a hand on her shoulder halted her from advancing. Over her head, Toushirou's voice called out to stop them. "You guys go first. I'll drop Karin off at your house before I head back tonight."

The words had Karin's heart dropping into her knees.

As the party of three left, she picked up the pieces of her composure, turning to face him. Her hardened eyes lost any of the warmth she had for him, as she took a step back and he kept his distance. Good. She didn't want to be stumbling with him when she was mad. Unfortunately for her, he had the ability to make her forgive him seamlessly and it drove her crazy.

"You didn't tell me you were leaving today." Straightforward and to the point, Toushirou could see the defenses sear skywards inside her, an impenetrable wall protecting her from anything she identified as a threat. At the moment, he was one. Although Hitsugaya wanted to say that it hadn't really been a secret, he couldn't tell her that there hadn't been a right time to spill the news. Somehow, he doubted that that counted as an actual excuse anyway.

"I've gathered enough data regarding your situation and now it's in the hands Genryuusai-soutaichou. This was always meant to be a scouting mission. Nothing more." The fact that it had become something else entirely sat heavily in the air, as the orange of the horizon cast his face in shadows.

Turning away, Karin felt her anger cool, consciously replacing it with a protective dullness. "I see. Then there wasn't any need to have us stay behind. You could've said goodbye once we got back to the house. Hell, I could've given Nel a proper send-off, if that was the case."

Reading her mood, Hitsugaya's bluntness did little to ease her annoyance. "You're upset with me."

"Yeah, Toushirou, I am." She frowned darkly as she threw her hands up in the air, taking a menacing step forward. The fact that he didn't bat an eyelash only had her seething harder. "How is it that we can be joined at the hip for the last four days and then you decide it's okay to just up and leave? Just because you did it years ago doesn't mean it's okay to do it now."

The words hit their target. Having the decency to look a little stung, Karin let the guilt simmer down, both silently acknowledging that the truth had to be said. As it impregnated the atmosphere around them, questions that had gone unasked began to surface, stripping away the guarding layers in their relationship. Because at the core of it, they were just a boy and a girl trying to come to terms with the flash of lightning that'd taken them by surprise. It was too soon to tell what it was and neither was idealistic enough to believe that so much could change in such little time. Maybe that was why Hitsugaya couldn't help but fall back on old comforts, drudging up promises that had no more bearings.

The slight, playful smile broke the seriousness of his face, but his eyes were anything but joking. "I remember you once told me you'd keep have me on your roster. I didn't realize there was an expiration date."

Stilling, Karin could feel the shivers of that last memory as it permeated to the front of her mind. It replayed her childish face of eleven, smiling at Toushirou just before he headed back. At the time, the soft acceptance he'd directed at her had made the ups and downs of his stay worth it. But it wouldn't be now. She wasn't the same girl she'd been and he wasn't her friend anymore, not really. If he was going to make a clean break from her, then they were going to do it as the adults they'd become.

"I said that a long time ago and you know it," she mumbled, feeling the air rifle through her long hair. Shaking her head, her exhale was noisy, uncomfortable. "It doesn't work that way now. _I_ don't work that way. If you're going to leave me behind, do it like a man, Toushirou."

It only took her a second to realize it was the wrong thing to say. Taking the step he needed to transverse the distance between them, the white-haired boy stared down at her darkly, though he remained silent. For a moment, they just looked at each other, as if they could find the answers they sought within each other. Terrifyingly enough, the idea didn't sound all that inaccurate.

Without taking a step back, Hitsugaya offered her his hand. "Come with me."

It wasn't a command, but a choice. For once, he wasn't trying to get a rise out of her or force her hand. This time, Karin was being offered his honesty, a moment to trust him entirely. But while it was easy enough to let him protect her, take him into her home and the very life she lived, she knew that she was going to give him much more than her permission if she took that hand. Because while many things between them had changed, the barriers they'd so carefully wrought between them hadn't budged an inch.

As she reached out for him, the sound of their crashing echoed solemnly in her ears.

* * *

><p>It only seemed right to end right where they began.<p>

As the moon began to peak late into the night, the dirt soccer field crunched with each of their steps. And as the recollection of their first real meeting—the first time she had seen him in his true form and him realizing just how special she was—filled them, the tenderness of it filled them. Theirs was a one-in-a-million friendship, one that should've never existed, must less survived. But did it have the strength to make the transition to something more?

"What are we doing here?" Karin asked, as she stopped in the middle of the plane. Shifting to get a better look at him, she could see he was as far away from the present as she was, eyes unfocused.

"This is where it all started."

"Yeah, I remember," she scoffed but there was no real anger there. The crater that had been caused by that Huge Hollow had long since been filled, the grassy areas untouched and the goal posts just as they always were. And yet it still felt as if it'd be so long since her last visit. Maybe it was Hitsugaya's presence that made it different.

"I can't help but wonder why you're going to choose to say goodbye here," she interjected, needing him to continue where they'd left off earlier. They were always meant to part but to do it in the place that she had such fondness for was teething at her insides.

"Maybe because I'm not ready to say it," Toushirou murmured offhandedly, but the way his irises sparked, lit by the weak moonlight overhead, was anything but nonchalant. A pleasant shudder coursed down her, a hope that had hibernated long ago but was now fighting for consciousness.

"You can't be like this, Toushirou. If you have something to say, then say it," Karin snarled softly, observing him as he moved to face her fully. But even with the blame wrapping up her tone, they held more strength than she did. He could break her heart right at that moment and she wouldn't be able to stop him.

Warily, the soul reaper held his silence for a minute longer before giving in. "You will not continue your Hollow hunting, Karin. Not even if Urahara or Yoruichi stood beside you and monitored your every move. Before I say or do anything else, I wanted to make that clear."

Struck dumb enough to have the astonishment leak into her expression, she caught herself immediately and fought to reign in her short temper. "That's it? That's what you dragged me here for, to break the bad news?" Baring her teeth, she hated how he didn't even flinch under her biting glower. "You know what? Go fuck yourself, Toushirou. If that's all you have to say to me, then fine. You better pray our paths never cross again because, if they do, I will destroy you, limiter or not."

"You're too quick to judge when I haven't even finished," Hitsugaya responded, moving in front of her and stopping her exit. Her rage was barely contained by the stone mask she wore, dark eyes glittering with passion he remembered in her even as a child.

"Oh yeah? What else could you possibly say? Soul Society's made its decision and you're the messenger I want to shoot but can't. So fine. Let me leave here before I send you back bloody." The way her hands clenched at her sides had him agreeing that it was no empty threat, though he could easily take her. But she would try with everything she had and that in itself was enough to cool his own growing resentment.

Opting for more passive body language, Hitsugaya let the truth fall from him lips. "It wasn't Soul Society who made that decision, but me."

"What?" The word was barely more than a breath, a mix of shock and indignant disbelief. Her features tightened even more, as she cursed him. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, Toushirou, but if you were really my friend you wouldn't be deciding my future without asking me first. I'm strong and capable! That's more than a number of your so-called squad members can say for themselves."

"I won't accept anything else, and do you know why, Karin?" Taking a step forward, he managed to tower over his onetime playmate, the spitfire in front of him resembling that little eleven-year-old but only just. Because his mind had opened to the possibilities of the woman she'd become and it messed with him, teased his senses and had him wondering about all the things they could be together, all the things he wanted them to become.

"Because you're an idiotic, chauvinistic jerk that likes to play with those he sees as lower than himself?" The pleasantly fake smile plastered to her face only had him crossing whatever space sat between them, invading hers until he could smell her natural scent. He'd become well acquainted with it over the last few days, didn't think he'd forget the orange blossoms mixed with rainfall even if he tried.

"Because I will not sit at my desk every day and wonder if you're okay," he explained, the authority melting into his reserved kindness, saved for no one less than than those he truly loved. "I refuse to have someone give me the details of your death at the hands of monster that should've been someone else's responsibility. I refuse to search every district of Rukongai for your soul just to make sure you got to Soul Society safely. I'd rather you hate me with everything you have at this moment than risk your life for even one second."

Stunning her immobile, Karin felt her rage and denial slip away soundlessly, replaced with doubt and tenderness. But it wasn't his confession that had taken those old feelings away, nor his overbearing need to insert himself into his life as if he belonged there, as if he'd never left. No, it was the notion that it would be so easy for her to let him inside her, guarding her when she'd never allowed anyone else to.

"It's not your decision to make and you know it, Toushirou," she murmured slowly, turning her mild gaze on him. "Thank you for wanting to protect me, but don't expect to let me just sit back and take it." Garnering more conviction, she reached out for him, stroking her thumb along an angled cheekbone. "I will do what I must, even if it means going against you. Until you get a new shinigami, I won't stop, regardless of the limiter on my wrist."

"You'd chase your own death?" He didn't manage to hide the worry in his rage, making her smile at the loss of control.

"I chase after my freedom, as well as the safety of others. That freedom comes at a price, one that I'm willing to pay."

"It's too damned high."

"Then you'd better find someone more capable soon, won't you?" she replied with a tempered smile, letting her hand fall delicately down. "I'm not a girl you can lock in an ivory tower and hope to save when all I want to do is fight. This is one battle you'll have to concede to because I won't, not this time."

The awareness in her eyes was honest, more so at that moment than any other time he'd looked into them. It spoke not only of the little girl he'd met as a child, but of the woman he'd come to know. And it pained Toushirou to admit that maybe he was wrong, maybe she was all the things she said and more, maybe she was more of a shinigami than even he was.

In the grand scheme of things, Karin knew what she needed to do, even if it meant being the sacrifice to accomplish it. The only reason she'd gone along with Toushirou's interference was because she had no other choice, not if she wanted to prove her point that she didn't need him the way she had when was young. He wasn't her protector, but perhaps he could be something more.

Tangling his fingers in soft, midnight hair, he pulled her up as he wrapped an arm about her waist. He dove straight for her lips, melding her mouth to his and forcing it open for a taste. And he held her to him, even as her own hands fisted the front if his shirt, even when the burn for air became apparent. Hitsugaya wanted to consume her, entrap her in his embrace and never let anything happen to her. If only all things in life could be so easy.

Taking a deep breath, Karin fell against him, feeling his heart race in tandem with her own. That a single kiss could send her every sense into overdrive and have possession coursing through her veins should've scared her. But it didn't. Because it was Toushirou who was holding her so close, threading his hands through her locks, letting her take it all in.

There was no doubt in her mind that they might really be falling for each other, an achingly powerful addiction neither of them could fight. But even if they didn't say the words tonight, it was obvious that they'd find a way to confess them on their own time. Right now, what they needed to do was reconfigure the equation that was their friendship and that meant giving each other some space to sort it out on their own.

"I'll take you home," he murmured, though he made no move to remove her from his embrace. Even with the stickiness of the late summer on him, Karin's warmth was his preferred relief. Honestly, he wasn't sure how he'd survived without her so long.

Agreeing with an insensible hum, she pulled away to look up at him, a radiant smile lighting up the dark night. It was with even greater reluctance that he stepped back, moving beside her to take her hand before leading them towards her home. The feel of the warm metal on her wrist met his skin and he knew that by tomorrow she'd be back to her old ways. It brought a sickening madness into his gut, crawling up his throat but he choked it down. Even with all his arrogant talk, Hitsugaya was well acquainted with her abilities, had a rundown of them straight from Urahara's lips. She was an adversary even a strong shinigami wouldn't want, but it didn't take the fear away, only lessened it to a more manageable level.

"You'll come see me again, right?" Karin interrupted his thoughts with the comment, looking up at him inquisitively as they meandered down the street. "I mean, you don't seem like a kiss-and-go kind of guy."

"That's because I'm not, of course," he defended, incensed by her implication. The teasing of her slightly upturned lips both relaxed and frustrated him. "I'll be back and often. Count on it."

As they continued their friendly bickering down the empty street, neither Karin nor Toushirou saw the shady figure of a man mumbling into an equally black butterfly, his lips forming an easy smile. The message was short and sweet, knowing that the excess would never fully describe what he'd been privy to the last few days. He had no doubt his partner-in-crime would be very pleased with the results.

_Mission accomplished, Matsumoto-san._

**THE END**

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><p><strong>AN<strong>: ONLY THE EPILOGUE LEFT! YAY! =D I hope you guys enjoyed this last chapter and I'll try and post the last part ASAP. My exams are going on right now so I'm studying (kind of) and won't be done until next week. I hope that you'll read and review to give me that last shove so I can finish this puppy up. And thank you all soooo much for your awesomeness. I love you guys~

Until next time~


	6. Epilogue

**AN**: I'm doing a mass update of my fics. Why? _**Because it's my birthday on Monday!**_ Yay! *throws confetti* And since I'll be in school and there's no way I'll be able to update all of them in one day, I decided that I'd make this week my birthday present to myself (and indirectly to you guys as well) by updating my four fics throughout the next few days. So, if you're reading my other fics, you're gonna be seeing this AN pretty much everywhere. LOL ;)

_Thank-you's for the last chapter_:

**SilentDarkAngel**: Thank you! :D

**Black** **Rose**: Yep. I just wanted to explore the Happily-Ever-After part that I usually neglect in most fics. ;) I'm so glad you got all of that from that last little paragraph. I try to leave a little mystery so people can interpret what happens even when the story ends so that's why I left Urahara's appearance vague but implied. I just wrote how I felt at the moment. I feel like Ichigo's a pretty understanding guy (when he wants to be) and Nel was just so sad to let go of. :( Thank you for your sweet review~ Always so happy to hear from you. Haha.

_Warnings_: This is 'T' for Teen, which means that if you don't like making out or sexual things, please stop reading now. This part of the story isn't necessary to enjoy the entirety of the fic but it supplements it and makes their future a little more concrete. You've been forewarned~

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><p><em>Epilogue<em>

_Five Years Later_

Sitting on the couch of Karin's apartment, Hitsugaya let out a contented sigh, glad he'd been given a day off and actually using it for his own needs rather than doing extra paperwork. Of course, that could've been because of the large, looming orange-haired man who'd visited a week ago and all but promised to tear him a new one if he didn't visit his baby sister, soon. And if the threat wasn't enough, then the guilt of not seeing his girlfriend in over three months was more than enough to get him in gear.

But with Karin finally putting away her Hollow hunting for good nearly a year ago, the young captain hadn't been able to find reasons to mosey on over into The World of the Living. Along with nothing even remotely powerful or mysterious setting off alarms, there was little he could do other than wait it out and hope she'd still be waiting for him when he got there. At that stupid idea, he immediately filed for a break and was granted it a few days later, must to his relief.

Their reunion hadn't gone as he would've liked it to, but it was one that he'd no less expected. As she complained that there was no good reason for him to scare her by breaking in through her window, his heart softened at the way she looked him, as if relieved that he'd come back at all. And the remorse resurfaced, as Toushirou pulled her close and wondered why he'd ever thought it was okay to leave for so long. Karin was the greatest thing to ever happen to him, and he needed to be around more often so he could convince her that that wasn't just talk.

Waiting as she finished getting ready for bed, he lazily dragged his eyes over the print on his lap. Hearing her even from afar, her footfalls were light and even, evidence of her old training, as she started down the hallway. Not looking up as she walked in, her voice carried as she struck up a conversation casually. "Hey, you wanna hear what Rangiku confessed to me the other day?"

Looking up from the book in his lap, Toushirou watched Karin approach him, dressed for bed in nothing but one of his oversized shirts that he'd left for whenever he came to visit. Distracted, he didn't really comprehend anything she said until she stood before him, and while her legs were rather tempting to touch he knew he couldn't ignore her for much longer. Her dark eyes held a spark of irritation that was only off-set by that playful grin she was trying to keep off her face.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" The reading glasses on the edge of his nose glinted at her, the fluorescent lights of her apartment blinding her for a second. She'd always loved the little things about Toushirou, like how regal but endearing he looked with the specks on, a fierce contrast to the domineering man he was to everyone else.

"I said, do you wanna hear what Rangiku told me the other day?"

"Sure," he said without thinking, reaching for her waist to pull her to him. Karin was forced to clamber onto his lap with an exaggerated huff, straddling his legs as he reclined to stare up at her. At twenty-two, the woman before him was even more gorgeous than when he first found himself falling for her, a youthful ball of intelligence and spitfire he couldn't help but feel grateful for even now. And with his arms secured around her torso, he was also quite happy about the feminine figure she'd been blessed with, as he dragged her so she was forced to lean against him.

"I swear, you're not even pretending to care anymore," Karin complained as he dug his nose into the crook of her neck while her arms curled around his shoulders. Truthfully he had to admit she was right. Hitsugaya couldn't think straight whenever the other was nearby and he always had problems keeping his hands to himself, especially when she looked so ready to be unwrapped, preferably with his fingers, lips and tongue.

"Nope," he acknowledged, smirking as he nibbled on the bottom of her earlobe and drawing out a frustrated whine. It was one of her most infamous weak spots, and he loved that he was the only one who knew so. Dragging his hands down to her legs, his fingertips skimmed her shapely thighs, tracing the lingering muscles and baby soft skin. Her breath hitched when they fell to her bottom, one of his favorite places on her body (there were probably too many to count, but he had an affinity for this one) and he gave it a playful squeeze, as he dragged his tongue along the pulse of her neck.

"Toushirou…" Karin panted, breathing heavier as she leaned down to bump noses with him, puffs of air warm and saturated with her growing lust. Spending months apart always had him on edge, wondering if one day he'd return and Karin's window would no longer be open, settled down with some unworthy human and mothering a brood that wasn't his. Just the thought sent a spike of jealousy through him, as Toushirou growled possessively in his throat before capturing her pouted lips in a kiss.

And Karin always tasted the same, of honey and rainfall, a piece of bliss that he refused to give to anyone. He dominated her mouth, clutching her to him and forcing her to keep up, as his tongue traced against hers willfully, literally feeding off her. It was always a battle of emotions, seeing who missed who more, who could get the other undressed faster.

Unfortunately for Karin, Toushirou derived a good amount of his pleasure from hers, meaning he tore every bit of rapture from her core and wrung every last bit of ecstasy until her body ran dry. He was well on his way again too, as a hand scurried into the baggy top to tickle her toned stomach and then straight for the swell of her breast.

"Oi, Toushirou! Can't you listen to me for one second without getting distracted?" Karin yelled, tearing away from his lips once his fingers skimmed her nipple, a flush crowning her face at his audacity. But the obvious distaste at being interrupted did halt his current actions, though he refused to remove his hand from her, instead opting to stroke her abdomen with his palm absentmindedly. And while she couldn't deny it felt like heaven against her skin, the glare she was giving him was potent with warning that if he didn't answer her he'd be sleeping cold and alone tonight.

"I'm sorry, but do you see yourself when you wear my clothing? It's like you want me to take you against the nearest surface," he scoffed, retracting his limb reluctantly but placing it on the jut of her hip so he could keep her from getting up. He only got so many days off in a year, and he sure as hell wasn't going to waste one of them with her being mad at him.

"Well, _duh_. It's not like it's a secret." She rolled her eyes to the ceiling, tightening her hold on his broad shoulders and settling happily on his lap so she could get comfortable. He pretended she wasn't so very close so he could actually hear what she was saying, and then he could hopefully get on with the rest of the night.

"You said something about Matsumoto, who I don't really care about right now because I'd much rather be doing other things. But, since I doubt you'll let me until you say your peace, then by all means, tell me what she said."

She scowled at the soft pet of sarcasm. "I hate it when you're condescending."

"Then you must always hate me."

"Now that is very true." Running her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, she didn't miss how his eyes glazed in contentment, a different sort of satisfaction she didn't see often enough on his face. She made a note to do this more when he visited. "Anyway, do you remember when you came to see me back when I was seventeen?"

"Of course. I had to keep both hollows and some teenage boy off you." The incredulity was duly noted, though Karin wasn't sure why he sounded so offended. While fairly popular with the male species now, she hadn't been such a coveted prize in high school. But because of that incident, Toushirou always warded off men, well-meaning or not, whenever he was at her side, deeming each one of them his rivals. She thought it was kind of cute, when she didn't think it was just plain annoying.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." She tapped her chin in reminiscence before turning back to meet his half-interested eyes. "Anyway, she told me that she explained to Urahara some weird notion of hers that she got when she was drunk and asked him to help her with it right before you left to see me."

"That doesn't surprise me in the least."

"I'm not done," she pouted, smiling when his mouth evened out and he looked at her with cool disinterest, telling her to continue. "She said that she asked him to mess with my limiter so that it forced you to follow me around for your entire stay. Said it was a part of 'The Plan.'"

He let out skeptical grunt, but he didn't say anything more.

"She said, and I quote—" Karin's eyes went crescent in glee, as she thought of the rather strange but charming plot the Tenth's _fukutaichou_ had concocted on a whim, "—'I wanted you and Taichou to have the cutest, strongest and craziest little three-fourths shinigami babies this side of Soul Society. They'll have white hair and black eyes and the most adorable scowls that you ever did see!' She went on saying how she wanted little Toushirou's and Karin's running around the office and training grounds, just to liven up the place."

"That woman has way too much time on her hands. If she can think stuff like that up, then she should do more paperwork," Hitsugaya grumbled, but the idea was already in his head like a well planted seed and it was slowly taking root, the possibilities for the future growing alongside his selfish attachment to the half-human.

"I don't know. She might be on to something," Karin teased her lover, smoothing her hands through his soft, unruly locks and smiling a seductive little grin. "Personally I'd love it if one had your eyes. I absolutely love them, especially when…" The words were lost as she whispered them into his ear, the innuendo not safe for others, as Toushirou bit back a moan at the image she summoned into his mind.

As he picked up the halfling and brought her into her bedroom, he shut the door and locked it for good measure, knowing that they wouldn't be leaving for at least the next two days. After all, it wasn't every day that Matsumoto had an idea this grand, and he couldn't deny that he found the conspiracy quite interesting himself. If having children with Karin would somehow better the world, Toushirou could take one for the team.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this, Auntie Rangiku?"<p>

Doing her best to hold in the squeal of happiness at the other's high-pitched voice and much too cute face, Matsumoto just smiled sweetly at her nephew, nodding in absolute assurance. Ah, so much more adorable than her _taichou_, though perhaps that part of his DNA came from Karin.

"Of course! Don't you wanna go outside and play? I can't bring you and your sister if all this paperwork is left here. Your papa will get mad at me." Shooting the tiny boy her most secretive smile, she gestured at the stacks of backed-up assignments she'd 'forgotten' about. And while she knew her captain would probably chew her out for it even if they did magically disappear, her punishment would be much less severe if his children were involved.

"What'dya say, Haku-chan?" the Tenth's lieutenant insisted, kneeling down and ruffling his white hair. The gesture had him crinkling his nose, his stone-colored eyes blinking up at her reflexively, as if still unsure.

"Matsumoto, stop using my children as scapegoats for your laziness."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Taichou. This is a private conversation between me and Haku-chan," the older woman said with some finality, flicking her head away as her boss came striding in, another person in tow. Well, not exactly. She was currently wrapped in her father's arms, her face the spitting image of her mother's but with tresses and eyes the same as her father's. From her post, she looked down at her twin brother, silently asking what he was being badgered into doing. Holding out a chubby finger, he pointed to the fukutaichou's overloaded desk. Between them, a telepathic understanding was shared.

"Oh, so that's where you've been, Yue-chan. I was wondering where you'd gone off to."

Her father let out a small growl, one that made his daughter giggle. "If you're going to babysit them, Matsumoto, then do so. I found her walking around the dojo, watching my new recruits spar."

"Did she beat any of them up?" It was a legitimate question. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the twins took after their parents and found that indomitable fighting spirit. The only question now was when that would happen.

"No, though she looked as if she wanted to join. It's definitely the Kurosaki in her because I certainly don't remember looking for fights as a child," he spoke with an exasperated huff, as he settled the elder twin on the floor and treaded over to his desk. Rushing over to her younger sibling, Yue held out her hand for Haku, who accepted it with a bright smile. It took everything Rangiku had not to squash them into her bosom and suffocate them with love, or at the very least coo at them in a baby-esque fashion.

"Hey, those fights find us, thank you very much."

"Mama!" both twins shouted, running together with their hands linked, as the dark-haired woman stepped into her husband's office. Dressed in her street clothes, Toushirou knew instinctively that she was heading home, probably to help her father out at the clinic. Although he was supportive of Karin's need to maintain some semblance of her human life, he also didn't want her travelling every day just to get there. The Precipice World wasn't the kindest place for any soul, no matter how powerful they might be.

Moving down to envelope her children, Karin patted them on the head lovingly. "Are you two playing nice?" Two synchronized nods. "Are Papa and Auntie Rangiku playing nice?" Two synchronized shakes of their heads.

"Tattle tails…" Matsumoto muttered beneath her breath, as Karin laughed at the pouting face of her longtime friend and former matchmaker. While the strawberry blonde certainly deserved her credit for getting her and Toushirou together, Karin was fairly sure an eternity free of paperwork wasn't a reward her husband was willing to offer. But, just this once, she'd give the vice captain a break and save her from her husband's wrath.

After kissing Yue and Haku on the cheek, she winked at them conspiratorially and gave the lieutenant the go-ahead, who happily bounded away with her children. And although Toushirou looked as if he wanted to stop them, he waited until they were out of earshot before confronting his wife. He'd say it was because their kids needed to see them as a united front. Karin knew it was because she'd trample over him unceremoniously and both of them knew it.

"Are you taking over my job as captain? It's fine with me, but the paperwork isn't going to finish itself," Hitsugaya argued, crossing his arms over his chest as his wife sauntered over. Dragging her fingers over the gleaming wood, she watched him with cheerful eyes, as she took up his chair and propped her legs on it.

"C'mon, Captain, lighten up. One day of hooky isn't going to kill you," Karin said with a shrug, as she peered up at him playfully. "In fact, you should be thanking me. I've saved you from having to babysit our kids and Matsumoto. I'm practically a saint."

He rolled his eyes. "Our kids aren't the problem, and you know it. It's losing my vice captain and having her gallivanting with them that worries me. Not to mention the fact that I now have more work than I know what to do with."

As Toushirou glared down at his wife, Karin's eyes began to glitter and immediately his spine straightened with awareness. He never had managed to decide whether he liked the look or not. As she took her hair down from her ponytail and shook it down her shoulders, she stood up before grabbing the front of his uniform and pushing him into his seat. Her legs came to rest beside each of his hips, as she leaned forward and knitted her fingers into his hair. Pulling him closer with a seductive curve of her lips, Toushirou was certain that he loved the look in her eye, as he stood up and lowered Karin to the table, intent on letting her have her way, just this once.

**THE END**

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><p><strong>AN<strong>: I'm almost sad to be ending this but this was so much fun to write. It started off as mindless fluff and I just loved writing it because it was something for me to work on when I was bored. But it's all grown up and done and I'm just soooo glad you guys could enjoy it with me.

So, thank you everyone for reading! I'm glad I could share one more HitsuKarin with you guys and hopefully more? We'll see. I'm kind of trying to explore other fandoms so I hope to be writing more pairings and rejuvenating my muse.

Please review if you guys enjoyed! Until next time~


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